Ebola Virus detected in Guinea

Ebola Virus causing haemorrhagic fever was detected on 23 March 2014 in Guinea. More than 80 persons have been detected to have been infected with Ebola virus. Out of this 59 persons from Sierra Leone and Liberia have died. This marks the first time an outbreak among humans has been detected.

Earlier, in 2012 Ebola outbreaks were reported in Congo and Uganda. The only prior case of a human contracting the virus in West Africa came in 1994.

An outbreak like Ebola can be devastating for a country like Guinea. As Guinea is a country with weak medical infrastructure. UNICEF has set up Doctors Without Borders in Gueckedou to try to stop the disease from spreading.

Among humans the disease is transmitted through bodily fluids. The subtype of Ebola was not determined yet, as it could give a better idea of the fatality rate. The fatality rate for Ebola can range from 25 to 90 percent.

About Ebola Virus

Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever and one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind.

There are five distinct species of the Ebola virus: Bundibugyo, Côte d’Ivoire, Reston, Sudan and Zaïre. Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaïre species have been associated with large outbreaks of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) in Africa causing death in 25-90% of all clinically ill cases, while Côte d’Ivoire and Reston have not.

The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Transmission of the Ebola virus has also occurred by handling sick or dead infected wild animals (chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope, fruit bats). The predominant treatment is general supportive therapy.