phunkism Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 (edited) A crowd of people angry about an Ebola outbreak that has killed 86 people across Guinea attacked a center where people were being held in isolation, prompting an international aid group to evacuate its team, officials said Saturday. The violence took place in the southern town of Macenta, where at least 14 people have died since the outbreak emerged last month. The mob of people who descended upon the clinic accused Doctors Without Borders health workers of bringing Ebola to Guinea, where there had never previously been any cases. Guinea's government swiftly condemned the attack, saying that Doctors Without Borders and other international aid groups were key to stopping the spread of Ebola. "The international community has rapidly mobilized to help us in these difficult moments with considerable medical support and specialists on the ground at the disease's epicenter," the statement said. "That's why the government is calling on people to stay calm and allow our partners to help us eradicate this epidemic." Some young people threw rocks at the aid workers, though no one was seriously hurt, said Sam Taylor, a spokesman for Doctors Without Borders. "We understand very well that people are afraid because it is a new disease here," Taylor said. "But these are not favorable working conditions so we are suspending our activities." Treatment continues Patients are continuing to receive treatment from Guinean health ministry personnel, Taylor said. BAMAKO, MALI—Residents in the Malian capital say panic over suspected Ebola cases has prompted public demonstrations. Ibrahim Coullibaly, who lives in the Lassa neighbourhood of Bamako, said several people were wounded Friday when police tried to disperse the protesters. The crowds were angry over reports that several people suspected of having the deadly disease were being held in isolation in their neighborhood. Health officials in Mali said Thursday they were investigating three suspected cases of Ebola amid an outbreak in two other West African countries. http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/04/04/ebolas_nearcertain_death_sentence_causes_fear_and_panic.html There is no cure for Ebola, which causes fever and severe bleeding, and up to 90 per cent of patients die from the strain of the virus that has been detected in Guinea. Some patients are held for observation, and then transferred to another area if they are confirmed to have Ebola. Confusion about the process has prompted misinformation in this remote corner of Guinea. Resident Kolie Martin accused doctors of transferring patients to the isolation ward who had not tested positive for Ebola. "As soon as someone is brought here, they don't try to figure out whether he is sick or not, they just transfer him directly to the sick ward. So it's them who are killing the people who are in good health," Martin said. A total of 86 people have died so far from Ebola in Guinea and two other confirmed deaths have been reported in neighbouring Liberia. Authorities in Mali are also investigating three suspected cases of Ebola, and they have sent samples overseas for testing. Experts say that Ebola is carried by fruit bats living in West Africa, and that it could have been transmitted to a human who ate a bat or another animal that had bitten by a bat. Health officials emphasize it can only be spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is infected. But that hasn't stopped fear and misinformation from spreading. In Guinea, passengers aboard a crowded bus fled at the sight of an elderly man who vomited, fearing he was ill with Ebola. In Mali, people protested in the neighbourhood where the suspected Ebola patients were being isolated, fearing their presence. An Air France flight from the Guinean capital that landed in Paris on Friday was briefly quarantined after the crew discovered indications that a passenger had been sick in the toilets. After medical checks on board the flight, the 180 passengers and 11 crew members were released, Air France said. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ebola-clinic-in-guinea-evacuated-after-attack-1.2599555 Researchers think fruit bats are the most likely host of Ebola, which was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Outbreaks have also been reported in Congo Republic, Uganda and Sudan and are typically contained within a few months. Prior to the current wave, a total of 2,387 cases had led to 1,590 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. There are no drugs or vaccines approved to treat or prevent Ebola. The rarity of the disease and its prevalence in rural areas of poor African nations doesn’t provide enough incentive for big drug makers to tackle the virus. Instead, smaller biotechnology firms and government-funded labs have taken up the challenge. The quick and horrible death of Ebola victims and the potential threat of an epidemic was captured in the 1994 best-selling non-fiction thriller “The Hot Zone.” It’s also considered a possible vehicle for terrorism. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the virus as a Category A bio terrorism agent, alongside anthrax and smallpox, compelling an expensive search for remedies. Ebola doesn’t travel through the air, making it harder to transmit than other pathogens, such as influenza, as long as adequate health-care practices are followed. Other diseases kill many more people. Influenza kills up to half a million people a year around the globe, and resurgent diseases such as tuberculosis and the growth of antibiotic resistance are a bigger focus for global public health organizations. While Ebola is unlikely to leave Africa, the stigma and fear associated with it can prompt people to flee to hospitals outside the affected area, spreading the disease across borders and around the continent. That panic gives governments an excuse to impose travel and trade restrictions on the affected countries each time Ebola emerges from the forest. What is Ebola? Ebola is a viral illness whose initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. It is one of the deadliest diseases on Earth, with a fatality rate as high as 90%. It causes bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and rectum and a bloody full-body rash leading to a quick demise. It’s one of a handful of diseases that are so deadly that governments consider it a threat to national security. The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. It then spreads from one person to another: by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased. The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines. Health care workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover. Edited April 5, 2014 by phunkism Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/698949-ebola/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolidSnails Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Well this is interesting cant wait too see how this turns out. phunkism 1 Link to comment https://gtaforums.com/topic/698949-ebola/#findComment-1065124548 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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