Terrifying Ebola outbreak kills 800 as disease spreads from dead bodies | World | News
An Ebola outbreak that has left 800 people dead and a further 2,100 people infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is believed that those who succumbed to the virus are still passing on the infectious disease as health experts warn it could be spreading from dead bodies.
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) flagged the worrying development as they believe the burial of Ebola victims’ bodies has contributed to the spike in cases and the fast spread. Bodies are being transported between districts and the virus is believed to be spreading to other areas as a result of this.
Dr Andrew Mbala, from the IOM, said: “If we don’t really manage the dead bodies well, if we don’t engage the community…then it means there will be more spread within the community.”
Two-thirds of Ebola deaths are, according to The Sun, happening outside of hospitals and clinics, with burials harder to control now than ever before. Ebola is passed on through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals.
The highly contagious virus has spread even quicker now that funeral practices are being carried out for those who have succumbed to the disease. Ebola first appears as a high fever, headaches, a sore throat, and intense muscle and joint pain.
The World Health Organization has since warned this is the third-worst Ebola outbreak the world has recorded to date. It is believed there are now 40 new cases of Ebola reported per day.
The first-known case of this recent outbreak occurred on April 24. The death of the nurse led to her body being transported back to her hometown, a move which has been flagged by Congolese health minister Samuel Roger Kamba as a reason Ebola has spread so fast.
He said the number of people exposed to the body at the funeral means the disease has spread rapidly. This opinion is held by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which warned that funerals were a particular concern in the spread of the virus.
