UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Samura Kamara to discuss the rising Ebola epidemic in the country. ‘They discussed the effects of the Ebola outbreak on the country and how the UN would work with Sierra Leone to combat the outbreak and mitigate its effects,’ Ban’s spokesman said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 3,000 people have died and more than 6,500 infected from Ebola in West Africa, especially in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia – the worst-hit countries. WHO predicts that if the disease is not brought under control, the number of cases could easily rise to 20,000 by November.
Here’s are some interesting facts about the Ebola virus that make it so deadly
It can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.
There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease.
Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus. Read more about 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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