Heaviest Ebola outbreak ever

Crisis Meeting: Ebola epidemic is spreading

07/02/2014

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa continues to spread. According to the WHO, the number of Ebola deaths there has risen to 467. At a crisis conference in Ghana, politicians and experts want to discuss the spread of the dangerous disease. The president of Liberia has urgently warned against further spread.

Crisis conference in Ghana
According to new figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of Ebola deaths in West Africa has risen to 467. The UN agency had estimated the death toll in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone about a week ago with 399. According to data from Monday, there were 759 known cases including the dead. The aid organization „Doctors Without Borders“ has the situation recently as „out of control“ The WHO warned that the epidemic would spread to other countries. A crisis meeting was convened on Wednesday and Thursday in Accra, Ghana, where health ministers from 11 African countries and numerous international experts will discuss how to stem the current epidemic and prevent future Ebola outbreaks.

Liberia's president warns her compatriots
Already in advance, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has warned her compatriots against further spread of the dangerous Ebola virus in the West African country. According to the Ministry of Health, "by the end of June alone, 90 cases of the disease were confirmed in Liberia, 49 patients died, and in most cases Ebola is fatal, and about 60 to 90 percent of the infected die from the disease. „I want to publicly inform all fellow citizens that the epidemic is real and is killing people in our country“, so Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday. The politician calls on the population not to hide possible infected family members in houses. The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health also warned a few days ago to resort to patients infected with the Ebola virus. A spokesman for the ministry even had this as „heavy crime“ designated.

Heaviest eruption ever
In March, the virus broke out in Guinea and spread to neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. WHO has indicated that the current outbreak is the worst ever, „not only in terms of number of cases and deaths, but also in terms of geographical distribution.“ Infected individuals initially develop flu-like symptoms, followed by severe symptoms such as severe fever, bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, bleeding from the mucous membranes, bleeding in the skin and increased internal bleeding later in the disease. As no reliable treatment method is known so far, doctors are usually limited to strengthening the immune system of the infected and prevent further spread.

No preventive measures for Germany
For Germany, the rampant Ebola outbreak in West Africa does not lead to any further preventive measures. „Even in the unlikely event that someone introduces the disease, Germany is already well equipped“, said Lars Schaade, Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute, on Tuesday in Berlin. „In addition, it is extremely unlikely that tourists get infected.“ Although infection is possible if one has direct contact with patients whose body fluids or people who have died of Ebola, nevertheless „Such contacts are easy to avoid, because during the incubation period, when those affected do not show any symptoms, neither they nor their excretions are contagious“, so sad. Also about the consumption of diseased wildlife („bushmeat“) you could be infected. Since being known in Africa for about 40 years, the Ebola virus has never been introduced to Europe. Only one import case of the related Marburg virus is known.
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