Researchers have succeeded in tracing the chain of contamination by the Ebola virus to the first case. A discovery that allows us to better understand its evolution.
This is a major discovery for understanding the evolution of the ebola virus which is raging in West Africa, and more particularly in Guinea where it has claimed at least 70 victims. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reveals that the first victim of this virus has been identified: a two-year-old child who died in December 2013 in Meliandou, in the prefecture of Guéckédou. In order to trace it back to him, the researchers carried out an investigation into the chain of transmission of the virus by analyzing hospital documentation and interviewing the affected families, and the inhabitants of the villages where the cases occurred.
This investigation also made it possible to discover that the main vector of contamination is a health professional. It would have spread the Ebola virus to Macenta, Nzérékoré and Kissidougou last February. The 15th patient, a doctor, also infected his relatives in the same areas.
When the study ended, four different outbreaks were confirmed: the district of Baladou (prefecture of Guéckédou), Farako (prefecture of Guéckédou), Macenta and Kissidougou. The suspected cases then amounted to 111 patients, including 79 deaths. VISOV (International Volunteers in Support of Virtual Operations) has developed a map that keeps reported cases up to date.
Internet users were also called upon to map cities on which virtually no data was available. American magazine Wired reveals that in the speed race to fight against the Ebola virus, up-to-date and detailed maps of the various outbreaks are crucial data for the doctors on the spot. Several hundred Internet users have thus managed to map several cities in Guinea in a few hours.
A new strain of the ebola virus
The strain of the virus was discovered by a French team from the P4 laboratory of the Institut Pasteur and Inserm in Lyon (Rhône). In this study, which brings together their work, that of German researchers, but also doctors in the field in Guinea and the World Health Organization (WHO), a strain very similar to Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) is described. It is characterized by fever, severe diarrhea and vomiting, but no bleeding. It is 86% lethal.
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