It seems possible that one reason Ebola is spreading so fast in cities may be due to rodents carrying the disease. If rats and mice serve as an intermediate host, it would explain why the outbreaks occur sporadically in tropical rainforest areas without healthy carriers among humans. Rodents tested for Ebola antibodies showed positive, indicating limited pathogenesis, meaning they dont usually die from it. They may get it from eating fruit that bats have eaten or the rodents may get it from humans. However any given rat picks it up, whether its on their body or replicating inside them, they can spread it. I think, in order to stop this epidemic they would have to greatly increase sanitation efforts. Flies, roaches, and even mosquitoes would have to be reduced. That doesnt necessarily mean putting poison out. Poison can kill other predatory birds, insects, and mammals that normally keep pest populations at a minimum. The problem is that cities are filthy places. Controlling rats in Conackry or Freetown or West Point seems impossible because no one in global governance cares about average people living in filth and squalor who dont have the money to set themselves up with all the cleaning products and homes that exclude vermin. But without extreme sanitation efforts, I think they wont be able to stop Ebola.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 06:17:37 +0000