Ebola Drastic increase in deaths

Ebola epidemic reaches Nigeria and is becoming ever more dramatic

08/05/2014

For months, a devastating Ebola epidemic has been rife in the West African states of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Last weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) once again recorded a dramatic increase in infection numbers and deaths. Also medical staff is increasingly affected. For example, a doctor in Nigeria had recently been infected with the deadly virus while treating a traveler from Liberia. There is growing concern that the epidemic could spread to Nigeria and other African countries.

According to the information provided by the World Health Organization „Between July 31 and August 1, 2014, a total of 163 new Ebola cases and 61 deaths from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have been reported.“ In Nigeria, three new cases have occurred, including former US physician Kent Brantly and a nurse who worked in the same hospital. The disease had originally broken out in Guinea, but now its focus has shifted to Liberia, where 77 new infections and 28 deaths were reported last weekend. In Sierra Leone, the epidemic continues to be extremely active (72 new infections, 21 deaths). In Guinea, however, according to the WHO recently relatively few new infections and deaths were recorded (13 infections, 12 deaths).

Nearly 900 Ebola dead until early August
Overall, more than 1,600 infections have been reported since the beginning of the Ebola epidemic until the beginning of August, with 887 patients having died as a result of the infection, according to the WHO communication. In Guinea, 485 cases and 358 deaths were reported, in Liberia 468 cases and 255 deaths, in Sierra Leone 646 cases and 273 deaths. New are the Ebola infections in Nigeria, where one death and three suspected cases have been registered so far. The surge in new infections this past weekend is being evaluated by international aid agencies and the WHO as an alarming warning sign that the epidemic is escalating further. In particular, the reported cases from Nigeria are increasingly worrying the experts, as an epidemic could have dramatic consequences for the most populous country in West Africa.

Criticism of health authorities
Health authorities in Nigeria face considerable criticism in dealing with the proven, now-defunct traveler from Liberia. The man had severe Ebola symptoms and collapsed at the airport. However, co-passengers were not quarantined as the Nigerian health authorities considered the risk of infection as minimal. Such negligence can have fatal consequences in a country with 150 million inhabitants and air connections throughout the world. The importance of adherence to safety and hygiene regulations when dealing with the infected is tragically evident in the medical staff's infections. Although the treating physicians know the risk and take appropriate precautions, the infections can not always be avoided. Travelers who suspect nothing of the illness of other passengers, however, can hardly protect themselves from infection. (Fp)