| Follow us on:
|
![MSF medical volunteers deployed in Guinea earlier this year to help the government battle the ebola outbreak [MSF/AP]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/AP100730867341-e1403605566580.jpg)
MSF medical volunteers deployed in Guinea earlier this year to help the government battle the ebola outbreak [MSF/AP]
“The scale of the current Ebola epidemic is unprecedented in terms of geographical distribution, people infected and deaths,” MSF said in a statement describing the outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Ebola is an incurable disease with at least a 90 per cent fatality rate. Symptoms first include headaches, severe fever, throat and muscle pains. This is followed by vomiting and diarrhea. The virus spreads from animals to humans and infection can quickly spread through contact with bodily fluids – even sweat.
The current outbreak was first reported in Guinea in early 2014, but quickly spread to neighbouring countries.
MSF’s warning came as Miata Kargb, Sierra Leone’s Health Minister, confirmed that 26 of 246 people tested have died recently.
The World Health Organization has said that hundreds of cases have been reported in the three aforementioned countries, with at least 337 confirmed deaths.
“The epidemic is out of control,” says Dr Bart Janssens, MSF’s director of operations. “With the appearance of new sites in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, there is a real risk of it spreading to other areas.”
MSF has called for a massive deployment of resources by governments in West Africa and aid organizations to curb the spread of the virus.
Source: Agencies
