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GUINEA HAS IDENTIFIED the Ebola virus as the source of a highly contagious epidemic raging through its southern forests, as the death toll rises to 34.
Experts in the west African nation had been unable to identify the disease, whose symptoms — diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding — were first observed six weeks ago, but scientists in the French city of Lyon yesterday confirmed it was Ebola, the Guinean health ministry said.
“We got the first results from Lyon yesterday which informed us of the presence of the Ebola virus as the cause of this outbreak,” Sakoba Keita, the ministry’s chief disease prevention officer told AFP.
Up to today we have identified 49 cases with 34 deaths in four prefectures.
To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation.
The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement it would strengthen its team of 24 doctors, nurses, logisticians and experts in hygiene and sanitation already in Guinea.
The organisation has set up isolation units for suspected cases in the southern region of Nzerekore and is looking for people who may have had contact with the infected.
“These structures are essential to prevent the spread of the disease, which is highly contagious,” said MSF tropical medicine adviser Esther Sterk said.
Specialised staff are providing care to patients showing signs of infection.
MSF said it was sending around 33 tonnes of medicines and isolation, sanitation and protective equipment in two planes leaving from Belgium and France.
Outbreaks
Ebola, one of the world’s most virulent diseases, was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1976 and the country has had eight outbreaks.
The most recent epidemic, in the DRC, infected 62 people and left 34 dead between May and November 2012, according to the country’s health ministry.
There are fears it could be used in a biological weapons attack.
According to researchers, the virus multiplies quickly, overwhelming the immune system’s ability to fight the infection.
The French embassy in the Liberian capital Monrovia released a travel advisory warning French citizens against travel to the affected parts of Guinea or areas of northern Liberia near the border between the countries.
It said anyone who had to travel to southern Guinea should “strictly respect the hygiene rules, not consume the meat of animals killed by hunting and stay away from areas of high density of population like markets and football grounds”.
A medic in Monrovia told AFP on condition of anonymity that Liberia was at considerable risk from the disease.
“We have a 90 percent chance of having cases in Monrovia because about 80 percent of goods on the Liberian market come from Guinea,” he said.
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Tied with smallpox as the scariest virus on the planet. I hope this outbreak burns itself out soon.
We had all but eradicated t.b. in this country, however since the mass influx of foreign nationals t.b. and other diseases are on the rise again, we should be protecting our own people and immunuse those on arrival who come here fron countries where immunisations are not available, the safety of our own citizens should be paramount and not considered racist!, just common sense and good practice!
Well said Kate.
Well I wonder who exactly Elaine et al are planning to quarantine… Goodbye tourism.. TB is endemic in Ireland and rising rates have more to do with poor housing, malnutrition and falling rates of vaccination than foreign nationals. Ebola could be brought in by a high spending American as easily as by an illegal immigrant. A highly virulent strain Influenza is more likely to be brought in by a frequent business traveller than a Chinese tourist. But go ahead make us an island fortress.
We should be screening people coming from high risk countries at least then we would be able to treat an prevent the spread of TB. What’s vaccinating everyone coming in going to do?? Nothing if that person already has tb.
What would you suggest we do with travellers from countries like USA, Canada, France, Norway, UK and many many other developed counties that do not vaccinate against TB except on a case by case basis, should be mandate that they all be vaccinated upon arrival?
US has one of the highest rates of TB infection in the world.
Ahippo that is totally incorrect.
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.TBS.INCD
The reason many developed countries have stopped mass vaccination with bcg is because of the low efficacy rate and because so many clinical studies if the vaccine have shown huge differences in outcomes. There is lots of info available online about this.
A hippos correct we should just let everyone from Africa without screening them just to be PC. I mean heaven forbid we try to protect our citizens from disease, I much prefer that we caught Ebola large scale than be accused of racism.
Totally agree… Some people on this are just out to get a rise out of people with nothing better to do
No rising rates of tb in Ireland are from foreign nationals coming into the country and not being vaccinated there are children in my children’s school who have had all kinda of infections that Irish kids just don’t get anymore..
So get off your high horse and do your research, make proper use of your internet instead of coming out with crap
I wasn’t allowed move to the UAE without a chest xray to prove I didn’t/had never had TB.
My sister had to have a clean bill of health before she was allowed become an American citizen, I mean dental work the lot..
Your so right there Kate. Look after our own national’s first.
Still not a patch on manflu.
Apparently its a horrible way to go.. most outbreaks have been confined to less densely populated areas but if it hits a city…..
Shudder
Read a book called the Hot Zone years ago, great read but terrifying!
I’m not going to lie! It was The Hot Zone for me too! I reckon 90% of people nodding and commenting sagely have read it. Brilliant book.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, thanks folks. I was looking for a good book for my Kindle, took me a while to find it but this should keep me occupied for the next week or so.
Great read Jed! Enjoy. Might root it out again myself & read, could never bare to part with it !!
If you liked hot zone, you should try out Executive Orders by Tom Clancy. Its a bit more simplistic but really gives you a terrifying look at what could happen with a weaponised Ebola virus.
Hold on there a minute @Ahippo, before you go playing the racist card. Would you disagree with a quarantine for people coming into the country from highly infected areas? I think you might reevaluate things when pus & blood is oozing from you’re eyes, ears and nose.
I never mentioned racism…but interesting that you jump to that conclusion… I just think it is a stupid idea to quarantine foreign nationals coming into Ireland… Goodbye tourism, goodbye international business plus if we do that every country in the world will retaliate and we will be quarantined when we go off island.
Come off it will ya… Someone suggests quarantine for foreign nationals, in relation to an outbreak and you’re reply is, “Doesn’t take long, does it?” Excuse me for jumping to crazy conclusions, but could you enlighten me to what you meant then if not racism? Taking the comment on quarantine, in context with the article, it’s not suggesting a blanket quarantine on every person coming into the country. But to suggest that it’s a stupid idea to quarantine people coming from a country with a deadly virus is idiotic. So if this outbreak blows up, which it could possibly do. You’d leave the boarders open with no precautionary measures. Think you’d make a good candidate for the next Health Minster.
I doubt many Guineans know where Ireland is never mind coming over to sample our Guinness.
I agree pat, it’s not about racism it’s about spreading a deadly virus and how to prevent it…
Why not send DR James Reilly over to sort that out. He seems to be a really competent minister who can get a handle on things.
This is indeed a very nasty virus and the fact that it’s highly contagious is the big worry.
Maby now they will quarantine foreign nationals coming into Ireland..
Doesn’t take long does it? I hope they quarantine you the next time you take your skanky ass off the island.
Don’t take offence to comments like this it only shows the lack of knowledge and understanding some people have on issues like this
Have you got your medical degree Elaine? Let me ask you one question….. What on earth would you know about Ebola and TB? Answer…. absolutely nothing.
Luke I didn’t think a medical degree would be required for one to understand the dangers of t.b., Ebola and such like diseases!?!?
Oh ffs….
Degree? ?? Lol
And what is your medical degree like???
So you don’t mind foreign nationals coming into Ireland bringing all kinda of things with them?
Well I do and just because your an ignorant p##ck makes you right does it..
Fuc#ing keyboard warriors!!!!!!!!
Im not ignorant. Far from it. Nor am i a keyboard warrior. I dont hide behind a nom de guerre.
So by your logic, when u or I go to say, Australia, should we be quarantined? Locked in a cage until we prove we are fit & healthy? Its just not feasible.
Cain i was referring to Luke
Ah, you replied to me. I was wondering. :-)
Haha oops sorry :)
Did Rene Russo and Dusting Hoffman not clear up that problem in 1995
AHippo, are you aware of the devastating long term effects that diseases like measles(which again we had under control) can have on unvaccinated babies, often leading to being permanently blind or even death!, these countries do not have the necessary vaccination programmes and therefore our citizens are in danger!……. Self preservation and all that!…….
Which countries are you talking about Kate… Is that handsome son if yours vaccinated. We don’t need foreign nationals of any nationality coming in to cause an epidemic. We need people here to vaccinate their kids. See other comments for the real risks.
Zombies Ted, zombies.
Is there anything to be said for saying another mass?
Rkmr, when in Rome, do as the Romans! Respect the immunisation policy in this country, to keep the citizens of Ireland safe!
Ahippo!, yes my boy is vaccinated as are all my other children!, to keep them and everyone around them safe!, the countries I am referring to are developing countries where the Taliban and like minded groups carry out vicious attacks and encourage ignorant propaganda against volunteer groups on the ground fighting the good fight to immunize children in developing countries!
Well said Kate
Us girls have to stick together Elaine!!xx
That’s very true Kate.x
Crowd control
Sounds nasty. Just wondering if it’s so deadly and highly contagious where has no vaccine or treatment been made for it??
It’s a very old virus and a very fast-acting one at that. Virologists have been trying to develop a vaccine for decades and they’re zeroing in one it.
Thanks
Rkmr!, the key word being “contagious”, this is not about the colour of anyone’s skin or what part of the world they hail from!, this is about putting good safe procedures in place to prevent the spread of highly “contagious” diseases!
It seems likely that bats in those parts of the world, particularly the area of the Mt. Elgon’s Kitum Cave in Africa may be responsible as either the source of Ebola or as a host of the disease who then passed it on to humans, possibly in their stools, or maybe an insect like a mosquito or flea which had bitten a contaminated bat them bit a human, passing on the disease.
Bats in Mt. Elgon Cave are known to be hosts of Marburg virus, a virus closely related to Ebola, and it has been proven that they can also carry Ebola.
Rkmr, could you please refer to news item!, one would assume that travellers coming here from developed countries are vaccinated from early childhood as education had thought us that vaccinating works well in fighting disease!
USA, Canada. France, Norway and many other developed countries do not vaccinate against tb at all. So what do we do with people from these countries? Why are these countries not overrun with tb??
Also the bcg only covers some strains, numerous clinical studies have shown huge variances in effectiveness of the vaccine. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/760578
Lol good one
Hmm I’m going to Conakry, Guinea in 5 days, having second thoughts now :(
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