The International Stresses of Ebola

2014 has been one of the more crazy years in recent memory, planes have been shot down and others have just vanished, much like the North Korean Dictator did for the past month and a half. However recently the most global communication has been centred around the spread of ebola and how to prevent a worldwide pandemic.

The biggest concern is the virus spreads through human to human transmission with a fatality rate of about 50%, which if not contained will run rampant as there are currently no licensed ebola vaccines. There have been confirmed outbreaks in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone but the disease has spread to the United States, Germany, Spain, Norway, France and the UK.

The symptoms of ebola appear between 2 and 21 days, and as a result of this quarantine becomes especially difficult as the patient must remain isolated for this entire time and poses the threat of new cases appearing without warning anytime within the next 3 weeks.

One of the most upsetting parts of this outbreak is the massive risk faced by those who attempt to treat the infected, clearly shown by the nine medics from doctors without borders to lose their lives. This creates the problem of a deadly very contagious disease that people will not wish to aid the infection due to the significant personal risk. As time goes by the need for a vaccine grows rapidly.

As of the 14th of October there have been 4,555 confirmed deaths as a result of ebola.