More than 7,400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola since March, according to the World Health Organization, making this the biggest outbreak on record. More than 3,400 people have died. In some parts of West Africa, there is a belief that simply saying “Ebola” aloud makes the disease appear. Such beliefs have created major obstacles for physicians trying to combat the outbreak. Some people have even blamed physicians for the spread of the virus, opting to turn to witch doctors for treatment instead. Their skepticism is not without a grain of truth: In past outbreaks, hospital staff members who did not take thorough precautions became unwitting travel agents for the virus. History of the disease is as follows; 1st outbreak was in the Sudan & DRC - 1976 (602 cases with 431 deaths) 2nd outbreak was in the DRC in - 1995 (315 deaths, with 254 deaths) 3rd outbreak was in Uganda in - 2000 (425 cases with 224 deaths) 4th outbreak was in Uganda and the DRC in 2007 (413 cases 224 deaths) The latest outbreak this year, 2014 in the countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal (6553 cases with 3400 deaths) How is the disease treated? There is no vaccine or definitive cure for Ebola, and in past outbreaks the virus has been fatal in 60 percent to 90 percent of cases. All physicians can do is try to nurse people through the illness, using fluids and medicines to maintain blood pressure, and treat other infections that often strike their weakened bodies. A small percentage of people appear to have an immunity to the Ebola virus.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 06:18:55 +0000