The scale of the Ebola outbreak appears to be vastly underestimated, says the UNs health agency as the death toll from the disease reaches 1,069. The World Health Organization said its staff had seen evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths do not reflect the scale of the crisis. The outbreak began in Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. On the bright side, however, WHO said the risk of transmission of Ebola during air travel remained low since the disease is not airborne. As a consequence, Kenya Airways has rejected pressure to suspend its flights to the Ebola-hit states of West Africa. Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak, said a WHO statement. WHO is co-ordinating a massive scaling up of the international response. Part of the problem has been that the outbreak is in settings characterized by extreme poverty, dysfunctional health systems, a severe shortage of doctors and rampant fear. Two people have died in Nigeria after drinking a salt solution rumored to prevent Ebola infection. Text messages have been circulating in Nigeria recommending that people drink and bathe in a salt solution as a way to stop getting the virus, for which there is no cure or vaccine. Even though the health minister tried to scotch the rumor, many people have been admitted into hospitals after drinking salt water. Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is infected. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external hemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums and then to internal bleeding that can lead to organ failure.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 03:07:29 +0000
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