Are you heading to #Africa any time soon? Make sure you keep an eye on this... #Ebola is a virus which typically kills 90% of those that get infected with it, and while its usually the nightmares Hollywood movies are made of (aka the 1995 film Outbreak were currently seeing one of the largest outbreaks of modern times. In the last month the number of people infected has more than doubled, with 603 confirmed deaths with 964 people currently infected, and this is growing daily. Compare the current outbreak to the last outbreak in 2012, which by the end only had 36 people die of 77 that contracted the virus. While cases of Ebola sometimes do spring up, they are often swiftly isolated and dealt with. Ebola Viruses are a Biosafety Level 4 in the WHO categorization system, meaning that all and any precaution should be taken to avoid exposure. To compare it, the virus that causes the Plague is only a level 3. With such a large number of people falling ill to such a dangerous and prolific disease, the World Health Organisation has stated they are not sure if they will be able to control it, as their funding (primarily gained through member-country donations) has fallen dramatically after the GFC. The situation in West Africa should be a wake-up call to recognize that this weakening of this institution on which we all depend is not in anybodys interest, Scott Dowell, director of disease detection and emergency response at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a briefing in Washington. In my view, theres no way that WHO can respond in a way that we need it to. Wiki says that about the symptoms: Manifestation of Ebola begins abruptly with a sudden onset of an influenza-like stage characterized by general malaise, fever with chills, sore throat, severe headache, weakness, joint pain, muscle pain, and chest pain. Respiratory tract involvement is characterized by pharyngitis with sore throat, cough, dyspnea, and hiccups. The central nervous system is affected as judged by the development of severe headaches, agitation, confusion, fatigue, depression, seizures, and sometimes coma. If youre travelling to Africa, make sure you stay safe and take precautions necessary to avoid falling ill.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 05:29:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015