Ebola crisis: Virus spreading too fast, says WHO

[Northerner]

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is spreading faster than efforts to control it, World Health Organization (WHO) head Margaret Chan has said.

She told a summit of regional leaders that failure to contain Ebola could be "catastrophic" in terms of lives lost.

But she said the virus, which has claimed 728 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since February, could be stopped if well managed.

Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected.

It spreads by contact with infected blood, bodily fluids, organs - or contaminated environments. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.

Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from the eyes and gums, and internal bleeding that can lead to organ failure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28610112

So scary 😱

 

[AlisonM]

Oh, so WHO finally noticed there's a problem did they? I've a pal that works for Medecins sans Frontiere and he tells me they've spoken to WHO repeatedly in recent months only to be shrugged off. Now though, non-Africans have died and the media is getting hot under the collar, so suddenly it's worth paying attention.