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Why Ebola is so dangerous Why Ebola is so dangerous
(4 months later)
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is taking "very seriously" the current outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. Out of 122 cases recorded in Guinea so far, at least 80 patients have died, with a further four deaths in Liberia. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has now declared an international health emergency in response. According to the UN, 961 people have died since February in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
What is Ebola?What is Ebola?
Ebola is a viral illness whose initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. And that is just the beginning: the next stage is vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding. Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.
The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads from one person to another: by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased. It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.
The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.
Health care workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.
People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.
Where did it strike?
Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, says the WHO.
The most frequently affected countries are further east: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sudan. This outbreak is unusual because it is centred in Guinea, which has never before been affected and is spreading to urban areas.
This outbreak began in Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, but has now reached capital Conakry (population: two million). Four people have died in neighbouring Liberia. Sierra Leone has reported five suspected cases, but none has yet been confirmed.
One of the Liberian deaths was of a woman married to a Guinean national. She died in Liberia but caught the disease in Guinea.
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the outbreak is "unprecedented" in the way the cases are scattered in multiple locations across Guinea, hundreds of kilometres apart.
World Health Organization guidance on EbolaWorld Health Organization guidance on Ebola
Eyewitness: Ebola outbreak fears In pictures: Battling Ebola in West Africa
What is being done? Where does it strike?
Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, advises the WHO. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place. Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, says the WHO.
It was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 since when it has affected countries further east, including Uganda and Sudan. This outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and is spreading to urban areas.
From Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, the virus has spread to the capital, Conakry, and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
A man who flew from Liberia to Lagos in July was quarantined on his arrival and later died of Ebola - the first case in Nigeria. One of the nurses who treated him has since died.
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the outbreak is "unprecedented" in the way the cases were scattered in multiple locations across Guinea, hundreds of kilometres apart, and says it is a "race against time" to check people who come into contact with sick people.
Ebola: Why is it this disease we fear?
Can cultural practices spread Ebola?
Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people. This is a problem for many in the West African countries currently affected by the outbreak, as practices around religion and death involve close physical contact.
Hugging is a normal part of religious worship in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and across the region the ritual preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing. Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and preparing the body. For a woman this can include braiding the hair, and for a man shaving the head.
If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load. Bleeding is a usual symptom of the disease prior to death. Those who handle the body and come into contact with the blood or other body fluids are at greatest risk of catching the disease.
MSF has been trying to make people aware of how their treatment of dead relatives might pose a risk to themselves. It is a very difficult message to get across.
All previous outbreaks were much smaller and occurred in places where Ebola was already known - in Uganda and the DR Congo for example. In those places the education message about avoiding contact has had years to enter the collective consciousness. In West Africa, there simply has not been the time for the necessary cultural shift.
The virus detective who discovered Ebola
What precautions should I take?
Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, the WHO advises. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place.
Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.
The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.
Liberia's health minister has advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. In March, Liberia's health minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. The WHO says men can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to seven weeks after recovering from Ebola.
A BBC reporter in the Liberian capital Monrovia says many supermarket workers are wearing gloves as a precaution. A BBC reporter in the Liberian capital Monrovia says that public awareness campaigns around Ebola have been stepped up following the death in July of renowned Liberian doctor Samuel Brisbane.
Senegal has closed its land border with Guinea. The Senegalese singer Youssou Ndour cancelled his concert last week in Conakry, saying it was not a good idea to bring hundreds or thousands of people together in an enclosed area. Liberia has now closed schools, most of its border crossings and communities hit by an Ebola outbreak face quarantine to try to halt the spread of the virus.
Bat-eating ban to curb Ebola virus The doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against the virus has also died, prompting the country's president to declare a public health emergency.
What can be done if you catch it? British Airways, West African airliner Asky and Nigeria's Arik Air have suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone and more stringent screening is being put in place at some airports. When the outbreak first began, Senegal closed its border with Guinea.
Not much. There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies. Fighting the fear and stigmatisation surrounding Ebola is one of the greatest challenges health workers face.
Patients frequently become dehydrated: they should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids. Saving lives on the Ebola front line
MSF says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, which kills more than 90% of patients. No handshakes, no sex
Other strains are less virulent and have a survival rate of up to 75%. What can be done if I catch it?
However, it is not known which factors allow people to recover while others succumb. You must keep yourself isolated and seek professional help. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.
Vaccine developed against Ebola There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies.
Patients frequently become dehydrated. They should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.
MSF says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus.
The current outbreak is killing between 50% and 60% of people infected.
It is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb.
Ebola: Experimental treatments
I caught Ebola in Guinea and survived