21 people developed a still unknown infection in Liberia. Within 10 days, the disease killed 12 people. It is not the Ebola virus.
An unfortunate victim of Ebola, Liberia is once again in the grip of an epidemic. This time, the origin of the disease is unknown. Within 10 days, 21 people contracted an infection with classic symptoms: fever, vomiting, headache and diarrhea. The exceptional character of affection lies in its identity, which is still unknown. Health authorities have failed to put a name to the disease.
Neither Ebola nor Lassa
The strange outbreak began in Greenville, along the Liberian coast, a 6-hour drive from the capital Monrovia. Since April 24, around 20 people have developed symptoms of this disease. 12 of them died. Most of the patients returned home after brief hospitalization.
The care teams were cautious during their treatment. It is equipped with full protective clothing that the caregivers went to the bedside of their patients. The aim is to limit the risks of a spread similar to that of the Ebola virus. The epidemic, which raged in Liberia, ended in June 2016 after killing more than 11,000.
Based on this experience, hospitals across the country took blood samples and analyzed them. “We are certain that it is not Ebola,” said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Sorbor George, during a press briefing. Lassa virus infection was also excluded. These same samples will be sent to Atlanta, USA, where the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is located. The teams will be tasked with identifying the pathogen in circulation.
High-risk burials
Pending results, the Liberian authorities are not taking any risks. They identified all the people who came into contact with the sick. A health intervention team was also deployed in the field to investigate the causes of this outbreak. One track already stands out: many patients attended the funeral of a religious leader. A person who was subsequently infected attended the funeral of one of the first patients to die.
The Ebola epidemic has already shown the high risk of contamination during burials. While corpses are still highly contagious, funeral rites involve washing the body. A ready-made propagation route. At the time, the World Health Organization asked communities to favor secure burials. This advice still applies.
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