Ebola “moving faster than efforts to control it”

The World Health Organization warned west Africa’s Ebola epidemic was spiralling out of control and could spread to other countries, causing “catastrophic” loss of life and severe economic disruption. WHO chief Margaret Chan told the leaders of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia the response had been “woefully inadequate,” saying the outbreak was “moving faster than our efforts to control it”. Aid workers warn it is ignorance over Ebola, rather than the virus itself, that is pushing up the death toll. While the virus can kill its victims within days, the pathogen itself is not particularly robust and can be seen off with soap and hot water. Epidemiologists point out that Ebola is relatively difficult to catch and isn’t even airborne. The virus requires contact with the body fluids of a victim. Though there is no vaccine, experts say it is treatable. But in a country like Liberia where remote communities are superstitious and often rely on witch doctors, damaging myths have built up. Click on the link below for Fast facts on Ebola.

Read about WHO’s warnings on Ebola on Rappler.

Read on how ignorance is pushing up the death toll in Liberia.

Fast facts about Ebola.