fbpx Ebola outbreak in Guinea | Page 6 | Science in the net

Ebola outbreak in Guinea

Primary tabs

Pubblicato il 03/04/2014Read time: 2 mins

Guinea is suffering from an outbreak of the Ebola virus, which started in the southeastern region of the country and now reached the capitol Conakry. The Guinea Ministry of Health reported a total of 127 probable and suspect cases, 35 out of which were confirmed by laboratory analysis. Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) say that 83 of these suspect cases died and that the disease also spread in the neighboring Liberia, with 8 suspect cases, 5 out of which were lethal and 2 laboratory-confirmed. Genetic analysis revealed that this virus is closely related to that reported in 2009 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said that the outbreak is unprecedented and difficult to control, but the WHO stated that this is not an epidemic and is geographically limited. This is due to the high lethality of Ebola virus, which prevents a widespread contagion. This is the reason why Ebola outbreaks are terrible but may be restrained, thus preventing them from becoming pandemic.

Ebola is a rare and deadly hemorrhagic fever caused by a virus, which spreads by direct contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person, but also by contact with contaminated objects or infected animals. First symptoms are fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness. In a second phase, the disease causes diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Some patients may also display skin rash, red eyes, and internal and external bleeding. In severe cases, it may lead to organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.

Autori: 
di redazione
Sezioni: 
Press review
Dossier: 
Pandemic
Titolo: 
Guinea's Ebola outbreak: what is the virus and what's being done?
  • 3299 reads

prossimo articolo

The Log and the Speck: The True Causes of Wildfires and Floods

di Roberto Buizza
di Paolo Vineis
Pubblicato il 13/01/2025
The Parable of the Speck and the Log. Ottmar Ellinger the Younger

The wildfires in Los Angeles and other extreme events, as well as their media coverage, highlight how immediate causes often overshadow the real issue: climate change, which increases the intensity and frequency of catastrophic phenomena. Tackling this crisis requires urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using already available technologies and investments to strengthen territorial resilience. Only a combination of mitigation and adaptation can prevent irreversible damage, ensuring a sustainable future for the next generations.

In the image: The Parable of the Speck and the Log. Ottmar Ellinger the Younger

Environment

Even in the face of the vast Los Angeles wildfires—still ongoing—as in other recent circumstances, the media's attention is primarily focused on the most immediate and “proximal” causes: the malfunctioning of the power grid, insufficient water reserves, the unpreparedness of newly hired firefighters, and so on.