Ebola is a highly fatal virus, for which there is no cure or vaccine. Infection is through needles, touching, and most commonly, through contact with bodily fluids (e.g., blood, vomit, feces, sweat). Treatment is typically rehydration and antibiotics. The current outbreak – which began in Guinea and has spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, with a single case reaching Nigeria – has killed hundreds and is calling attention to serious systemic weaknesses in these countries’ health systems, highlighting the need for better outbreak detection and response mechanisms.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 21:30:59 +0000