VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
1ST RECORDED EBOLA OUTBREAK IN GUINEA
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EBOLA caused deadly fever outbreak: Guinea govt
The Ebola virus caused of an outbreak of deadly hemorrhagic fever which has killed at least 59 people in southern Guinea, government officials said.
Many cases have been recorded since the outbreak began in early March.
The highly contagious virus is spread via close personal contact and kills between 25% and 90% of victims.
Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.
There are no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.
In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
- Gabon
- South Sudan
- Ivory Coast
- Uganda
- Republic of the Congo (ROC)
- South Africa (imported)
There is no record of a previous outbreak of Ebola HF in Guinea.
“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.
Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000. Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.
‘Overwhelmed in the field’
“We got the first results from Lyon yesterday (Friday) which informed us of the presence of the Ebola virus as the cause of this outbreak,” a Guinean health officials told AFP.
“The Ebola fever epidemic raging in southern Guinea since 9 February has left at least 59 dead out of 80 cases identified by our services on the ground.”
“We are overwhelmed in the field, we are fighting against this epidemic with all the means we have at our disposal with the help of our partners but it is difficult.”
12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change
A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.
Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.
The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC]
- Avian influenza
- Babesia
- Cholera
- Ebola
- Intestinal and external parasites
- Lyme disease
- Plague
- Red tides
- Rift Valley fever
- Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
- Tuberculosis
- Yellow fever
RELATED LINKS
- Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
- Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
- Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008
- GEO-4: Another ‘Optimistic’ Report October 26, 2007
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