Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 17, 2014 2:08 PM IST
Ebola is ravaging West Africa and according to a recent report by the WHO, the toll has risen to a staggering 4,493 people. 'The latest figures from WHO report a total of 8,997 cases in seven countries, and 4,493 deaths,' UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, adding that healthcare workers have been paying a heavy price in the fight against Ebola 'with 427 infected and 236 dead'.
The WHO has warned of a continuously deteriorating situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the Ebola outbreak, Xinhua cited Dujarric as saying. 'An increase in new cases in Guinea is being driven by a spike in cases in the capital, Conakry, and the nearby district of Coyah,' Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here, adding that in Liberia, there was almost certainly significant under-reporting of cases from the capital Monrovia while in Sierra Leone, intense transmission was still occurring in the capital Freetown and its surroundings. (Read: How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
'The total number of operational laboratories in the three West African countries will increase in the coming weeks, as a Russian mobile laboratory becomes operational in Guinea, and a Public Health England laboratory begins to provide diagnostic testing in the Western Rural area of Sierra Leone,' he said. Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) also warns that Ebola is wiping out gains in safe motherhood made in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. (Read: What is the Ebola virus disease survival rate?)
'An estimated 800,000 women in these three countries should give birth in the next 12 months but many pregnant women are afraid to visit or turned away from overstretched health facilities,' he said. UNFPA has said that $64.5 million is needed to provide reproductive and maternal health services in the next three months, he said. (Read: What is the Ebola incubation period?)
Here s are some interesting facts about the Ebola virus that make it so deadly.
It can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.
There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease.
Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus. Read more about 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.
