The current Ebola epidemic can be considered the largest epidemic of the virus ever recorded. In terms of geographic distribution, people infected and deaths, it is unprecedented and out of control, according to MSF’s director of operations.
The first confirmed case of this Ebola virus outbreak occurred in Guinea in an area close to forests, the first infection is believed to have occurred in February. There are currently cases reported in 60 different locations, spread across 3 countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. According to the July 3 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus has already reached 779 people and caused 481 deaths.
The organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the main NGO working in the areas infected by the Ebola virus, warns that the epidemic is out of control: “With the emergence of other affected locations in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, there is a risk real proliferation of the disease to other regions”, says Dr. Bart Janssens, MSF Director of Operations.
The Ebola virus is considered one of the most dangerous, as the mortality rate can reach 90%, there is no vaccine or cure. Treatment is based on hydration and treatment of symptoms, in addition to preventive measures such as quarantine of the patient and people who came into contact with the patient.
This is the first time that the Ebola virus has appeared in Guinea, so the population is still scared of the disease and the prevention methods, which rely on specific health equipment and facilities for isolation.
Another complication in controlling the disease is that cases are spread both in rural and urban areas, including the capital of Guinea, where millions of people live. In addition, WHO also considers that the high movement across borders, cultural burial habits, resistance of the population to preventive measures and the large territorial region that the virus has already spread, are factors responsible for the continued spread of the disease in the region. .
Currently hundreds of people who had contact with infected patients are being monitored by health teams. They have to be closely observed for 21 days before discharge. This Monday (7), the Ministry of Health of Ghana reported that it has a suspected case of Ebola under observation.
Can the Ebola virus reach the World Cup in Brazil?
Although it is possible for the Ebola virus to reach Brazil, the chances of this happening are very low. This virus, which was first identified in 1976 in the Congo, near the Ebola River, has since never reported a case in humans outside the African continent.
The Ministry of Health reported that it is monitoring, through data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola outbreak registered in West Africa. According to the ministry, there are no confirmed cases of the disease in Brazil, even with the large flow of foreign tourists due to the World Cup, the risk of transmission in the country is considered low.
According to the WHO, the risk of spreading the disease is considered high in countries bordering Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia; moderate in the rest of the African continent and low in the rest of the world.
The Ministry of Health also recalled that the WHO itself has not asked, so far, for people to avoid traveling to the affected African region, due to the outbreak of the virus, and that there is no reason to “cause any fuss”.
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