In Mali, 2-year-old girl is the country's first Ebola patient

In Mali, 2-year-old girl is the country's first Ebola patient
(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

The first case of Ebola in Mali was reported late Thursday, with Health Minister Ousmane Kone making the announcement on television.

The patient is a 2-year-old girl who came from Guinea, The Associated Press reports. Kone said she was tested Wednesday in a hospital in the town of Kayes, 375 miles from the capital of Mali. Once she was diagnosed, "the sick child and the people who were in contact with her in Kayes were immediately identified and taken care of," Kone said.

Health officials have worried about Ebola making its way to Mali, AP says. The country is bordered by Guinea, which has been hit incredibly hard by Ebola, and Senegal. Senegal has had just one case, with that patient coming from Guinea, but the country has since been declared Ebola free.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.