Already 12 Ebola dead in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Number of Ebola dead doubles to 12

06/10/2014

The spread of the dangerous Ebola virus in West Africa poses a serious threat to the population. According to the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, another six patients have died of the disease. The number of Ebola deaths thus doubled to twelve.

Number of Ebola dead doubles
The health ministry in Sierra Leone said Monday that another six people have succumbed to the disease following the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic. The death toll in the West African country has thus doubled to twelve. Last week, the government had already confirmed six deaths. It was said that a total of 42 cases had been confirmed and 109 suspected cases had been reported. The Ebola virus is considered one of the most dangerous viruses worldwide. An infection with it causes the dreaded Ebola fever, which - depending on the pathogen strain - ends fatally in up to 90 percent of cases.

Organizations warn of the spread of the deadly virus
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), new infections with the deadly virus are currently being observed in West Africa. In neighboring Guinea more than 200 people have died of the dangerous infectious disease since the beginning of the year. And also in Liberia there should have been several Ebola deaths. Recently, the organization also warned „Doctors Without Borders“ before an Ebola epidemic in „previously unknown extent“. The deadly virus had never been so widespread, it said.

Transmission through blood and other body fluids
Ebola is transmitted through blood and other body fluids. Infected people suffer from high fever, muscle pain, bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as in severe cases of internal bleeding and organ failure. Affected people literally bleed from all orifices. The pathogens can be passed on with the body fluids to other people, which causes an extremely high risk of infection when dealing with those affected. Therefore, the isolation of the patients is so important. There are no vaccines or successful therapy against Ebola. The treatment focuses primarily on balancing the fluid loss. (Ad)