Environment & Energy

hatrack

(59,592 posts) Sat Jun 28, 2014, 10:53 AM Jun 2014

Oh, Great, That'll Help - Sierra Leone Government: Sheltering Ebola Victims "A Crime"

Sierra Leone has warned it is a serious crime to shelter patients infected with the Ebola virus who are in hiding.

The Health Ministry said several patients had discharged themselves from hospital in Kenema district, the heart of the country's outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for "drastic action" to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has killed almost 400 people. It is the largest outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical spread.

There have been more than 600 cases in Guinea - where the outbreak started four months ago - and neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia. Around 60% of those infected with the virus have died.

EDIT

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28060966

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Oh, Great, That'll Help - Sierra Leone Government: Sheltering Ebola Victims "A Crime" (Original Post) hatrack Jun 2014 OP

It is pretty hard to stop such a contagious disease dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #1

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

1. It is pretty hard to stop such a contagious disease

Reply to hatrack (Original post)

Sat Jun 28, 2014, 12:10 PM

Jun 2014

if you can't find those who are ill and spreading it.
400 known deaths is a huge number, in the history of Ebola.
Previous outbreaks were limited by not allowing people into the "hot zones".
and it helped that travel was not as widespread as it is now.
The incubation period can be as long as 21 days.

This has some good basic info about Ebola and related strains of the virus.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

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