Ebola Outbreak in West Africa — International Points

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September 16, 2024

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by Anup Shah
This web page Created Saturday, September 27, 2014

This web page: https://www.globalissues.org/article/804/ebola.
To print all info (e.g. expanded facet notes, exhibits various hyperlinks), use the print model:

On this web page:

Introduction
The place does the Ebola virus come from?
Tackling the unfold of the Ebola virus
Information tales from IPS

Introduction

The most recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has been described by the World Well being Group (WHO) as the most important, most extreme and most complicated outbreak within the historical past of the illness.

The epidemic started on the finish of 2013, in Guinea. From there it unfold to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Lots of the affected international locations face huge challenges in stopping its unfold and offering take care of all sufferers.

Hundreds of individuals have died and lots of are in danger because the fatality fee from this virus could be very excessive. Because the disaster worsens, in addition to the large well being challenges concerned, the social and financial penalties could set these international locations again, reversing some beneficial properties plenty of these international locations have made in recent times.

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The place does the Ebola virus come from?

In accordance with the Heart for Illness Management (CDC) within the US, the preliminary human an infection comes from contact with an contaminated animal, more than likely a bat. From there, human to human transmission spreads the illness.

As The Guardian has famous, medication and vaccines for Ebola has sometimes been low precedence for the primary medication corporations though now there’s a new focus and sense of urgency:

Till now, pharmaceutical companies have given Ebola very low precedence. The few potential medication and vaccines underneath improvement are actually being sped into trials. Wholesome volunteers within the UK and US have been injected with a candidate vaccine to check security. Drug trials will quickly be arrange in west Africa, however they’re a number of months away and there’s no certainty that they may work.

Briefing: West Africa’s Ebola disaster, The Guardian, final accessed, September 27, 2014

As has been talked about on this web site for years, sadly ailments affecting the poorest international locations the worst have sometimes acquired little consideration or funding, typically as there isn’t any revenue in it for medication corporations, which raises a complete set of different points about drug remedies and entry to important medicines.

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Tackling the unfold of the Ebola virus

The CDC additionally notes that strict isolation of contaminated sufferers is important to cut back onward transmission.

As well as, as plenty of these international locations are fairly poor, help and well being help is kind of important as assets are restricted for already strained budgets and well being departments. Whereas help has been gradual to come back, help by itself won’t assist; there’s a common lack of sufficient skilled workers, fundamental tools and applicable medical amenities to deal with the variety of individuals needing care. And that doesn’t even cowl the extra companies that might be wanted for hundreds of people that have misplaced many family members, together with whole households.

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