| Comments |
"At the time of this writing, more than 2,200 people are estimated
to have been infected by a new strain of Zaire ebolavirus in four
West African nations, and more than 1,200 have died. Infection
can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external hemorrhaging that can lead to death. Neighboring as well as non-neighboring
countries are at risk because of porous borders and air travel of presymptomatic infected individuals, the latter having resulted in the spread
of infection to Nigeria. And while the death rate—estimated at 55%—is
lower than that of many previous Ebola outbreaks, the total number of
cases exceeds all ebolavirus infections since 1976. [Researchers] don’t know when
the outbreak will end, or how far it will spread, but its control is expected
to take months and may involve extraordinary measures." |