Mali Ebola Cases Now Reach Eight; Of That Six Are Dead

[T]he case count in Mali continues to rise, with eight confirmed Ebola cases and six deaths. The most puzzling aspect of the outbreak in Mali is that so far the death rate is 100%. Of the previous six cases, all six died.

While it’s possible that the Ebola response has been slow in Mali, it is also intriguing that Mali has been a trial location for an Ebola vaccine candidate. Eighty HCWs (Health Care Workers) have been vaccinated with a Glaxo-Smith-Kline candidate that, theoretically, should not induce illness since it’s based on a recombinant chimpanzee adenovirus. At the very least, locals must be concerned that a country with no Ebola cases is suddenly dealing with a 100% fatality rate among HCWs who cared for a dying imam.

Is there more to the story than we’re being told? Does all  of this really trace back to an imam who was mistakenly diagnosed with kidney failure rather than Ebola?