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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 28, 2014 3:09 PM IST
Peter Piot, co-discoverer of the Ebola virus in 1976, said here Monday that the lesson that people should draw from an Ebola crisis was that it could be avoidable by acting early. Speaking at the University of Hong Kong, Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that West Africa's funeral tradition deteriorated the epidemic, Xinhua reported.
In West African traditions, people touch and kiss the beloved ones in funerals to say goodbye. Once families and friends touched dead bodies, they would be easily infected as the Ebola virus would be in its strongest situation soon after patients died. Once people touched dead bodies they would be easily infected. Piot then stressed that acting early was very important for every outbreak. He said if measures were implemented earlier, and patients were properly isolated, the crisis would be avoidable. (Read: How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
'I would rather be accused of overreacting than not reacting, and then let things out of control,' he said. In his view, stopping the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is in line with the interests of other countries. 'Our world is so globalised...Hong Kong (for instance) is at the crossroads of many many continents. So the best way to control Ebola in any country is to make sure that in West Africa it is stopped.' (Read: What is the Ebola virus disease survival rate?)
He criticised the US's new policy which demands that anyone who had contact with Ebola sufferers in West Africa has to be put under a 21-day quarantine after flying into New York and New Jersey. He said this would totally undermine volunteers' support to West African countries. About China, Piot warned that the increasing number of Chinese people working in West Africa could pose a risk. (Read: Ebola facts frequently asked questions (FAQ))
However, Piot believed that the crisis itself could bring positive changes. 'This is an opportunity... to intensify training in infection control of hospital workers,' he said. According to the latest figures released by the World Health Organisation, more than 10,000 people have been infected with Ebola and nearly half of them have died. The deadly Ebola virus, which first broke out in West Africa in March, has put the whole world on high alert since it spread to Europe and the US. (Read: How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
What is the Ebola incubation period?
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious clinical condition caused by a virus. Also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the virus spreads through close contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Ebola is considered to be a clinical emergency all over the world and hence it is important to be aware of its symptoms and incubation period to prevent health issues.
The incubation period of the Ebola virus is 2 21 days which means that a person infected with the virus takes around 2 to 21 days to show symptoms of this disease. Although in most cases the symptoms appeared after 8-10 days after being infected with the virus. It is in this period of incubation that the virus attacks the immune system. Read more about What is the Ebola incubation period?
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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