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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 21, 2014 6:59 PM IST
The US has praised Cuba for sending hundreds of its healthcare workers to Africa as part of the UN mission for the emergency response against the deadly Ebola virus. 'That Cuba has dispatched hundreds of health care workers to the region as part of the UN mission for the emergency response here. It is a significant contribution to the overall international response,' State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters yesterday. (Read: Ebola virus signs and symptoms you need to watch out for!)
'We have recognised and appreciate this contribution, as we do from other countries as well. But the fact that such a small country is providing so many resources ? more than many other countries, quite frankly ? is a significant contribution,' Harf said. She said Cuba is one of the few countries besides the US that's sending medical doctors on the ground to fight Ebola. (Read: What is the Ebola incubation period?)
Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry also praised Cuba's efforts. 'Cuba, a country of just 11 million people, has sent 165 health professionals ? and it plans to send nearly 300 more,' Kerry told a group of foreign diplomats in Washington. 'There is no country that is exempt from being able to do something to be able to contribute to this effort and help make a difference,' Kerry said. Cuba's contribution towards Ebola has also been recently praised by top American media outlets. Nearly half of the more than 9,000 people who have contracted Ebola in West Africa this year have died, according to World Health Organisation. (Read: What is the Ebola virus disease survival rate?)
Why Ebola mutating rapidly?
A recent research related to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) states that the Ebola virus is rapidly mutating, making it difficult to diagnose and treat. A study conducted on the initial patients being infected with the virus in Sierra Leone revealed more than 400 genetic modifications of the Ebola virus, which might prove detrimental for the ongoing treatment measures but also to the vaccines that are under clinical trials for future treatment of the Ebola virus.
The Researchers at the Broad Institute in Massachusetts and Harvard University warn that the Ebola virus is constantly undergoing mutation. The findings show that the future treatment options including vaccines as well as diagnosing of the disease will be very difficult and less effective as mutations will continue. As of now, the researchers have analysed around 99 Ebola viral genomes. Since the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in March, more than 1550 people have died of the Ebola virus disease. Earlier in August (24th), a new viral strain of the Ebola virus different from the one being observed in West Africa was detected in those from Democratic Republic of Congo, posing threat to million of lives all over the world. Read more about Ebola virus is mutating rapidly say scientists
With inputs from PTI
Photo source: Getty images
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