Where does Ebola live when it is not killing people? Marburg, a virus similar to Ebola, has hit the radar in the African country of Uganda, raising concerns about another deadly outbreak. With two lethal viruses threatening public health, many are questioning why these contagions seem to be flaring up more often — and more important, what we can do to avoid them in the future. The current Ebola outbreak originated in West Africa and has killed more than 4,000 people, more than all other past outbreaks combined. The first Marburg death was confirmed recently in Kampala, Uganda. Both viruses cause haemorrhagic fevers and are passed from animals to humans, which has experts examining how humans and African wildlife interact. Health officials know Ebola likely goes dormant in an animal, called its reservoir host, but they have yet to identify exactly which species. At least one of the suspects is the fruit bat, which is believed to host several other viruses (including Marburg and SARS) without getting sick. These bats usually live in large, tightly packed groups, allowing the virus to spread easily among the animals. It makes sense that a bat may be the animal as it likes to live in caves and mines. In West Africa there are many mines both legal and illegal. Yes the cute little fruit bat once again is a concern. In Australia it is adored by the greens for its cuteness while they ignore the fact it is known to carry rabies. Yes it is a cute little fruit bat that craps on your car roof and destroys the paint. Now the cute little fruit bat may be killing people with Ebola, Marburg and SARS. Not only do I concede I do not know why bats are not killed by these diseases I do not understand why their predators including owls, eagles, hawks, falcons, raccoons, wildcats and snakes not killed?
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:34:14 +0000
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