Ebola outbreak confirmed in Guinea has killed up to 59 individuals.
The mysterious disease that has killed nearly 60 individuals has been finally identified as the hemorrhagic disease caused by the Ebola virus, as confirmed by the Guinea government officials. The Ebola fever epidemic which started on February 9 has 80 identified cases with 59 dead.
The Ebola outbreak has been confirmed as six of the twelve samples turned out to be positive for Ebola virus. A laboratory in Lyon (France) has confirmed the information.
"We got the first results from Lyon yesterday (Friday) which informed us of the presence of the Ebola virus as the cause of this outbreak," Guinean health ministry official Sakoba Keita told AFP as reported in BBC online.
The first Ebola outbreak dated in history was in the Democratic Republic of Congo way back in 1976 wherein there were 318 reported cases and 280 of it were the reported deaths. Though the technology as of today is already advanced, there is still no known cure for the Ebola virus which is known to be highly contagious.
The clinical manifestations for the said disease begin with influenza-like symptoms characterized by fever, chest pain and general malaise. There are also episodes of vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding. It is being spread through close personal contact from an infected person's organs, blood and bodily fluids.
As the Ebola outbreak was confirmed in Guinea, reports of similar symptoms had been reported in the area of Sierra Leone, just near the border of Guinea. According to Reuters report, Dr. Brima Kargbo, Sierra Leone's chief medical officer has told the authorities that they are investigating the case of a 14 year-old boy that died in the town of Buedu.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international medical charity said that they will strengthen their team in Guinea and that they will be flying 33 tons of medicines and medical equipment. An isolation unit will also be established in three affected towns in Guinea.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
