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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 25, 2014 6:44 PM IST
The latest report coming from the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Saturday declared the number of Ebola virus cases recorded until now has exceeded 10,000, with 4,922 patients succumbing to the deadly disease.
Only 27 of the cases have occurred outside the three worst-hit countries -- Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea -- BBC reported. These three countries account for all but 10 of the fatalities.
Mali became the latest nation to record a death, a two-year-old girl. More than 40 people known to have come into contact with her have been quarantined. The latest WHO report also said that Liberia remains the worst affected country, with 4,665 cases. Sierra Leone has had 3,896 cases and Guinea 1,553.
Nigeria has recorded eight deaths and there has been one fatality in Mali and one in the US.
In the US, the governors of the states of New York and New Jersey have ordered a mandatory 21-day quarantine period for all doctors and other travellers who have had contact with Ebola victims in West Africa.
Anyone arriving from affected West African countries without having had confirmed contact with Ebola victims will be subject to monitoring by public health officials.
The first person to be quarantined under the rules was a female health worker who arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport Friday.
She had no symptoms then but has since developed a fever and is being monitored.
The survival rate of this disease
The low survival rate of the Ebola is because the virus has an incubation period of 2 21 days (after which the symptoms start to appear). Also the early symptoms such as fever, headache, stomach pain and drop in blood pressure are not specific, which most people tend to ignore. And till the late symptoms appear, the condition worsens leading to death (which usually occurs due to low blood pressure). The fact that Ebola virus has no cure makes the disease more detrimental.
The only way to improve the survival chances of an Ebola infected person is early diagnosis and immediate treatment. While individuals who are at an increased risk of infection like healthcare workers and family members (friends), should follow precautionary measures to prevent the Ebola infection. Know how to prevent this infection, here.
Further, according to the study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, WHO announced that the total number of Ebola cases is only going to exceed to a whopping 10,000, by December, 2014. Read here to know more.
With inputs from IANS
Image source: Getty Images
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