Latest Ebola News: Death toll touches 4,000 confirms WHO

Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 11, 2014 1:03 PM IST

At least of 4,000 lives affected confirms World Health Organization in its new report. According to the report, the latest figures show that there have been 4,024 confirmed or suspected deaths in the worst-affected West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the BBC reported.

Eight deaths are linked to the haemorrhagic fever in Nigeria and one in the US, while there have been 8,399 confirmed or suspected cases, mostly in West Africa in total.

How is Ebola transmitted? What are its causes?

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According to scientists, there are five different types of the virus, all of which have the potential to infect humans. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) this disease can be transmitted from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In humans, the disease can be transmitted by the following methods:

Coming into contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of an infected person.
Healthcare workers may contract the disease through transmission as well through contact with infected bodily fluids.
Handling the meat from infected animals.
Contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who has passed away.

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.

With inputs from ANI

Image source: Getty Images

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