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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : October 14, 2014 5:56 PM IST
Goa must screen entry of foreign tourists in order to keep the deadly Ebola virus at bay, Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Rane said. Rane was speaking at a function in Panaji. 'People are dying like flies (due to Ebola). We should be alert. Don't let just about any (tourist) to come to Goa in the name of tourism,' Rane said. (Read: Ebola virus is mutating rapidly say scientists)
'Goa gets a lot of tourists. If they get such diseases (to Goa), it will affect our future generations,' Rane said, adding that Ebola had moved from Africa to the US and Europe. Goa, a leading beach tourism destination in the country, annually attracts three million tourists to Goa out of which half a million are foreigners. (Read: How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
Here are some Ebola virus 7 myths busted
Myth #1: Ebola is not real
Fact: Ebola is real and is caused due to a virus.
The virus is thought to have been spread from animals to man and is capable of being contagious even before any symptoms are seen. Having killed over 700 people, the Ebola virus is known to be fatal 90% of the times. This apathy was highlighted in a news report by NEWSY, where Dr Sanjay Gupta said in an interview with CNN that people in Africa have a severe lack of knowledge regarding the virus and how it spreads. They touch the bodies of people who have died due to the infection, and get infected. This then spreads to people around them. Apart from that in a startling revelation, one person interviewed in Africa said that he did not believe that Ebola was real, while eating a piece of bush meat. As the disease continues killing, it is this belief that only makes the situation worse.
Myth #2: Ebola can only spread through blood
Fact: Ebola can spread through all body fluids including blood, sweat, semen, saliva and any other discharge.
This is mainly because of the way the virus attacks the body. Apart from affecting a person s immune system, Ebola multiplies extremely fast and soon spreads throughout a person s body. It then systematically infects all systems of the human body barring the nervous system. This leads to bleeding and breakdown of all the defense mechanisms of the body. The infection becomes so severe that at a given time there can be up to 1000 viral cells in one drop of body fluid (especially blood). Read more about Ebola Facts: Top 7 myths busted
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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