Ebola is Back

By Anastacia Mott Austin

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, or EHF, has struck the West Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The current outbreak has apparently infected 362 people, with 166 deaths so far.

Adding some confusion to the diagnosis of the virus is a concurrent outbreak of the more common and less deadly Shigella, a form of dysentery.

Beginning in April of this year, cases of an unknown virus began to be reported in the province, with a dramatic upsurge in the number of cases over the past several weeks.

The Ebola virus is known to strike fear into the hearts of all who hear of it because of its dramatic symptoms, high contagion rate, high fatality, and the fact that there is no known cure for it.

Symptoms begin with a stomach ache, headache, and fever, and progress rapidly to bloody vomiting, diarrhea, organ failure and massive internal bleeding. Some victims begin to hemorrhage from all bodily orifices before dying.

In addition, the incubation time for the virus can be as long as 21 days, which can increase the possibility of infection for great amounts of people as victims may not know they are infected until weeks later.

With such a prolific release of bodily fluids, any contact at all with victims can be highly contagious. Intensive protective measures must be taken to prevent infection, which can be difficult in remote areas of the Congo where medical supplies are scarce.

The disease is said to be carried by primates and other animals, and passed to humans who either consume their meat or otherwise come into contact with infected secretions, and it is then easily passed between humans.

Congolese officials have begun broadcasting warnings to villagers on radio and television, advising them about what to do to avoid infection.

"We are extremely concerned," said Dr. Benoit Kebela Ilunga, to The New York Times. Dr. Ilunga is the secretary general for the Health Ministry of the Congo. "But we also have experience dealing with this."

There have been several outbreaks of the Ebola virus in the area. In 1976 an outbreak of Ebola claimed almost 300 victims in the Congo and 150 people in Sudan. Smaller outbreaks occurred in 1977, 1979, 1994, and 1996. In 1995 an outbreak in Kikwit, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, caused 250 deaths. In 2000, the virus killed 224 people in Uganda.

In total, the WHO estimates there have been approximately 1,850 worldwide cases of Ebola, with 12,000 deaths. The virus is fatal in 50-90% of those infected.

Various groups of medical aid workers have already arrived in the area with supplies and are working to help treat victims and prevent the spread of contagion.