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The European Union Wednesday allocated an additional 2 million euros ($2.68 million) in aid to tackle the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. This brings the EU's humanitarian funding in response to the worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa to 3.9 million euros ($5.2 million). 'The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost,' Xinhua reported citing Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, as saying in a statement. (Read: Ebola grips another country Nigeria reports it's first death due to the virus)
The EU has deployed experts to the affected countries to help assess the situation and coordinate with the authorities, she said. The additional funding will help contain the spread of the epidemic and provide immediate health care to the affected communities. EU support will be delivered through partner organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). (Read: Doctor who led the war against Ebola virus succumbs to the disease)
To date, the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic has been reported in three countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone with a total of 1,200 cases and 672 deaths. This is the largest recorded Ebola outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical coverage, according to the WHO. (Read: Sierra Leone Ebola update: 46 dead, 163 confirmed cases)
What is ebola virus?
The Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe condition caused by a virus from the Filoviridae family. Known to be a condition that is transmitted from animals to humans, this virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.
What are the symptoms?
The incubation period (or the time between when the actual infection takes place to the time when a person sees symptoms of this condition) for this disease is about one week. After this period a person will commonly see the signs that are considered as 'early symptoms'. According to Dr Ratan,the early symptoms include fever, rashes, headache, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Apart from that a person may also experience symptoms like pain in the lower back, arthritis like pain all over the body, diarrhea and a sore throat.
How is it diagnosed?
Usually a doctor will be able to diagnose the condition with the symptoms alone, but in order to confirm the diagnosis he/she may prescribe tests like CBC (Complete Blood Count), coagulation studies (a test to check for the amount of time a person's blood needs to clot), viral antigen testing (a test to check for the presence of the viral antigen) and a liver function test. Read more about Ebola virus causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention
Source: IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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