Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa reveals a latest death toll of up to 4,447 while the infection continues to spread in different parts of the world.
World Health Organization (WHO) assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward recently revealed that the death rate for the said disease has already reached up to 70 percent, while an estimated of 1,000 cases per week has been noted in the last four weeks. With the current rate, WHO also warns the public that up to 10,000 new cases can even arise every week in the next two months. The new tally of the infected individuals has already reached nearly 9,000 while it is still expected to increase, especially now that there are cases noted in several countries such as in the United States.
The United States has already confirmed cases of Ebola while one of the infected patients had already died on Wednesday. Fear even began to escalate after a nurse in Dallas has been infected with the virus despite of wearing the protective gear making people question the ways how the infection is spread. Aside from strictly isolating any suspected individuals, the U.S. government already heightened its airport screenings, particularly to the travelers who came from West Africa where the outbreak originated.
Britain also started its screening at Heathrow airport, although it does not have any direct flights from the area of the outbreak. Such screenings are believed to help prevent the possible spread of Ebola virus in other countries in a way that health officials will be able to assess if a traveler is a suspected carrier of the Ebola virus.
Aside from the airports, readiness of the hospitals that would cater Ebola patients is also being tested. The precautionary measure will come after the Dallas nurse reportedly contracted the deadly virus due to a breach in the protocol of the hospital she's working. No cure and vaccine are yet known to combat the said outbreak.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
