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THE HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS Ebola virus, which has killed more than 4,500 people in west Africa since December and has fueled global alarm, is among the most dangerous ever identified.
1. Where did it come from?
Like AIDS, which began in Kinshasa in the 1920s before spreading worldwide, according to a recent study, Ebola was first identified in central Africa.
The tropical virus was named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it came to light in 1976.
Five species have been identified to date (Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston and Tai Forest), the first being the most dangerous with death rates that have reached 90% among humans.
The death rate in the current epidemic of haemorrhagic fever is around 70% according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
2. How is it transmitted?
The virus’ natural reservoir animal is probably the bat, which does not contract the disease itself.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines have also been found to transmit Ebola to humans.
Only one certified contact with an animal has been recorded in the current outbreak, however, early on in Guinea, following which it has been passed on among humans.
Although it is highly contagious, Ebola is transmitted less easily than some other diseases. An average of two people have been infected by each person who has contracted the disease since December.
This is because Ebola is transmitted by contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person, but not by air.
Those infected do not become contagious until the symptoms appear. They then become more and more contagious until just after their death, which poses great risks during funerals.
Following an incubation period of between two and 21 days, five being the average according to a Swiss study, Ebola develops into a high fever, weakness, intense muscle and joint pain, headaches and sore throats.
That is often followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, skin eruptions, kidney and liver failure, and internal and external bleeding.
3. How can it be treated?
Because there is no approved drug treatment at present, patients are essentially re-hydrated.
A series of experimental treatments have nonetheless resulted in positive results among several patients.
The best known is ZMapp, a cocktail of three monoclonal (single cell) antibiotics developed through a Canadian/US partnership, of which several hundred doses are expected to become available by the end of this year.
Avignan, an anti-flu treatment developed by the Japanese firm Toyama Chemical, could be available rapidly but it has not yet been proven sufficiently effective against the Ebola virus.
Toyama Chemical says it has enough Avignan in stock for more than 20,000 people.
Two vaccines have been deemed promising by the WHO and their development has been speeded up. They are the Canadian drug VSV-EBOV, of which 1,000 doses were sent to the WHO this week, and cAd3-ZEBOV, made by the British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline, which is not expected to be ready before 2016.
4. How can you protect yourself?
Ebola is best treated preventively, notably through hand-washing and using gel- or alcohol-based disinfectants. The required procedure is simple but must be done rigorously, and anyone suspected of exposure must check carefully for symptoms, especially fever.
It is recommended to keep a distance of several metres (yards) from infected people or bodies, and health-care providers must wear disposable protection clothing that includes masks and gloves.
Sites that have been contaminated must be disinfected.
5. How to defeat Ebola?
Patients must first be identified through laboratory tests because the symptoms resemble those of other diseases such as malaria. Those infected must be isolated.
Ebola treatment centres require substantial means: WHO estimates that it takes between 200-250 medical personnel to safely staff a centre of 70 beds.
All people in contact with an infected person must be closely watched for 21 days to ensure they have not contracted the disease.
The United Nations has estimated it will take around €780 million to fight Ebola over the next six months, but less than 40% of that amount has been received so far.
The money is needed to increase the number of available beds to 7,000 from 4,300 at present by 1 December and to provide the required number of personnel.
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Can I have my money back now
It’s like’…..burning your furniture – to keep warm!
Why are PwC saying this instead of IBRC and NAMA?
As property prices start to rise nama , ibrc start to dump property
Can someone explain why?
Dumping loans philip, not property. They’re Dumping the loans as they’re non-performing and want to get them off the balance sheet.
If they had the patience, they’d put arrangements in place to allow the properties to return to positive equity and then seek a sale, this recouping more of the tax payers money.
Unfortunately, they’ll sell the loans for a discount and allow the new purchasers to do this and net a tidy profit.
The article outlines that IBRC (IBROKE would probably be a better name) will offload € 15 billion in loans.
Yet the linked article tells us that IBROKE have already offloaded 90% of its loanbook, € 19.8 billion out of € 21.7 billion leaving just € 1.9 billion on hand.
This can only mean, if the previous article is correct, that it is NAMA that is offloading the majority of the loans.
Why the subterfuge?
Why make people think that this is some kind of joint enterprise when it is NAMA that is leading the charge?
Have the shiny suit brigade from the canal something to hide?
Given their obsession with secrecy it would not surprise me if they have, perhaps selling the loans to some preferred customer with an inside track at a serious discount.
The way things go it will all be wrapped up before we know anything, plus ça change.
Who in their right mind would buy this junk?
It might only be worth 30% of face value but if you buy it for 20% it’s a good deal. For the buyer anyway.
@ Irish Revolution
The Banks?
Hedge funds bought it. They will now sell off all the ghost estates etc at a lower price so people that have houses for sale at the min will eventually have to sell for half or take them off the market.
Fab house here in drogheda asking price €325. Hilarious. You could now nearly get a house for that on raglan road or ailsbury road!! So that house is realistically worth less than €150 really.
People and notions ha
What about Bank of Scotland selling on my mortgage & others in their Irish portfolio to a company called Tanager Ltd.
I’m in a tizzy all day because I don’t know what it means for us.
have your say