Robbers steal ‘Ebola blood samples’ in Guinea.

Robbers in Guinea have stolen
blood samples believed to be
infected with Ebola, the Red Cross
in the West African nation has
said.
The samples, stored in tightly
wrapped vials tucked into a cooler
bag, were in the care of a Red
Cross courier who was among nine
passengers sharing a taxi when
three men on a motorbike robbed
the vehicle and took the samples,
said Saa Mamady Leno of the Red
Cross in Gueckedou.
The robbers forced the passengers
out of the vehicle on Wednesday,
stole mobile phones, cash and
jewelry, and fired into the air as
they demanded the handover of the
cooler bag, Leno said.
The courier was taking the blood
samples on a 265km journey along
winding rural roads from central
Kankan prefecture to a test site in
southern Gueckedou.
Faya Etienne Tolno, a spokesman
for the Guinea Red Cross, said the
aid group had a shortage of
vehicles for transport, which
explains why a taxi was used. No
one was injured in the incident,
which took place on a road known
for banditry.
“We don’t understand why they
stole the blood sample. Perhaps
they thought there was cash
hidden in the flask,” Tolno said.
Dr Barry Moumie, who heads
patient care for the national Ebola
response coordination committee,
told the Associated Press news
agency: “We have informed the
security services. If these thieves
handle this blood, it will be
dangerous.”
Authorities publicly appealed on
national radio on Friday to the
unidentified robbers to hand over
the samples.
Ebola, which has killed more than
5,000 people in Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Guinea, is spread
primarily by contact with infected
bodily fluids including blood,
faeces and vomit.
The virus emerged in Guinea at the
start of the year and has infected
around 1,900 Guineans, killing
almost 1,200.