Latest Ebola News: Death toll in Congo reaches 42

Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Minister of Public Health Felix Kabange confirmed Wednesday a total 42 people have lost their lives to Ebola virus disease in confirmed or suspected cases.

Out of 42, a total 30 cases were confirmed Ebola positive, out of which 16 died, two remain in isolation, and 12 are healed. Other deaths are suspected and probable cases, Xinhua reported citing the minister.

Kabange said that 243 people were being monitored among the 245 who had been in contact with Ebola patients. ‘The dead include eight health workers and three isolation cases, all in the Equateur province,’ he added. With the first case confirmed in mid-August, DRC is experiencing its seventh Ebola outbreak since 1976.

Here are a few reasons Ebola virus is 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.

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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