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Guinea, a West African country, recently announced that it is experiencing an Ebola epidemic. There are currently 8 confirmed cases and 3 deaths in the country. This is another outbreak since the end of the epidemic in West Africa four years ago.
Because it kills half of the infected people on average, the Ebola virus is currently considered the world’s deadliest virus. It has caused more than 11,000 deaths. The epidemic spread from a community funeral in southeastern Guinea, the same area where the outbreak occurred in 2013-2016.
So how dangerous is Ebola? What steps are the local government and WHO currently taking to control the epidemic?
Image source,Reuters
The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with infected people or the blood or body fluids of people who have died from Ebola.
Ebola virus
The World Health Organization believes that the Ebola virus is transmitted from wild animals to humans and then spread through person-to-person contact.
Symptoms: including fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and some internal and external bleeding (such as bleeding gums or blood in stool).
Incubation Period: The incubation period from infection to symptoms is 2 to 21 days.
Image source,EPA
Traditional community funerals were another important source of early infection. Because the body was touched, washed and kissed by many people.
How is the Ebola virus spread?
The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with infected people or the blood or body fluids (such as blood, feces, and vomit) of people who have died from Ebola.
The body of Ebola patients is highly infectious, and items contaminated by the bodily fluids of Ebola patients are also infectious. Medical personnel are often infected while treating patients who are suspected or have died from the Ebola virus.
Traditional community funerals were another important source of early infection. Because the body was touched, washed and kissed by many people.
How does the current epidemic start?
The current outbreak is related to a funeral in the town of Goueké, in southeastern Guinea. A local nurse died in late January and was buried on February 1. A few days later, the eight people who attended the funeral began to show symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding and fever.
Three of the patients died and the other patients have been isolated and are hospitalized.
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Some villages in Liberia and Sierra Leone have entered a state of high alert.
How does the government respond?
The Guinean government has established a treatment center in Guek and has ordered the tracing of the infected person. At the same time, the WHO said it is coordinating measures that include the distribution of the Ebola vaccine and the provision of treatment support. The organization also stated that it would cooperate with the governments of Guinea’s neighboring countries to increase surveillance.
Liberia and Sierra Leone have entered a state of high alert, but no new cases have been discovered. Liberia’s President (George Weah) has ordered health officials to “immediately engage in community work in cities and towns bordering Guinea and strengthen defense measures against Ebola.” Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed that they are in the eastern region of the country. Add a fourth case of Ebola.
WHO said that in order to closely monitor the situation, it has also contacted other countries in the region, including Mali, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
Is the Ebola virus as dangerous as before?
Left untreated, Ebola has a high death rate – on average, half of those infected die. In previous outbreaks, the mortality rate ranged from 25% to 90%.
However, WHO said it is now better prepared than it was in 2013.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) stated in January that there are now two vaccines against the Ebola virus and that 500,000 vaccines are being urgently reserved worldwide to respond quickly to future outbreaks.
BBC Africa editor Mary Harper said the WHO and the countries themselves have learned lessons from previous outbreaks: “They are very good at tracing and isolating close contacts, so they are better prepared now than before.”
But he noted that epidemics often occur in remote areas with poor infrastructure: “These are challenging environments.” Harper said: “Even if Africa is not particularly affected by the new corona pandemic, now it is at the same time the wave of the Ebola virus.”
