| Sunday Herald - 16 February 2003 |
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Stalked by the Ebola virus
VILLAGERS in the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville's more remote parts have been fleeing their homes as World Health Organisation experts, clad from head to toe in futuristic protective white suits, arrive to investigate a suspected outbreak of deadly Ebola fever.
Squads of WHO and government medical experts are attempting to draw blood samples to determine whether a viral infection that has killed more than 50 people is indeed Ebola. Passed on by infected blood, saliva and other body fluids, Ebola is one of the deadliest viruses known to man. It kills anywhere between 50% to 95% of its victims through massive internal and external bleeding, depending on the viral strain. There is no treatment, or cure. The current outbreak, 440 miles north of the capital Brazzaville and near the border with Gabon, began spreading among villagers after they butchered and ate the meat of infected gorillas. So-called 'bush meat' -- gorilla, monkey, antelope -- has been a staple part of the local diet for centuries. More than 80% of a clan of gorillas in the nearby forests of the 100 square mile Lossi Gorilla Sanctuary have recently died of Ebola. The Lossi sanctuary was created at the request of the villagers when they realised that the long-term benefits from gorilla viewing by tourists far outweighed any short-term benefits from hunting. But the catastrophic fall in the population of lowland gorillas in Lossi and the more famous 5250 square mile Odzala National Park, to the southwest, is threatening these magnificent animals at the very heart of their range in central Africa. Two Spanish primatologists, who have been studying eight gorilla families in a 15 square mile area of Lossi for the past decade, say all 139 of the gorillas have simply disappeared, apparently victims of Ebola. Two of the missing gorilla families had been habituated for tourism viewing. They were the first lowland gorillas ever to be habituated in central Africa and generated much-needed revenue for villagers. WHO's Geneva-based spokesman on infectious diseases, Ian Simpson, said medical teams are operating in the villages of Kele, Yembelangoye and Mbou. But he said WHO was not yet ready to confirm that an Ebola outbreak has occurred. 'There is no proof at this point that this is an outbreak of Ebola,' he said. 'We do know that there have been reports of haemorrhagic fever and that some of the symptoms are consistent with haemo rrhagic fever.' Simpson said test results would be known by tomorrow. But health officials in the capital, Brazzaville, are adamant that it is an Ebola outbreak. Last month, more than 25 people died of the virus in a nearby village across the border in Gabon before the outbreak was contained. Previously, the last known Ebola outbreak was in 2001 when about 100 people died in Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville. Authorities fear the death toll could be much higher than the 51 recorded so far. Because the villages are so remote, health officials have had difficulty in determining how many people have been infected. Doctors say that outbreaks in the region are difficult to contain because tradition requires family members to wash the body of the deceased before burial and they therefore come into close contact with infected fluids.
Since Ebola was discovered in 1976, there have been periodic outbreaks throughout central and east Africa. But, horrific though they are, Ebola and other haemorrhagic fevers have been responsible for a tiny number of deaths -- around 1500 -- compared with the Aids virus, HIV. However, the devastating speed at which Ebola strikes, its easy transmission from person to person and the resulting massive destruction of the liver, make the virus one of the most feared in the world, the stuff of nightmares. The disease is named after a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), where it was first recognised. The exact origin, locations and source (known as the 'natural reservoir') of the virus remain unknown. Although gorillas and chimpanzees have been the source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir. One theory is that it might be a plant virus. Meanwhile, churches, schools and government offices in Cuvette West, the province where the infected villages are located, have been closed and public gatherings banned. Health Minister Alain Moka said: 'Right now, the teams are having a lot of trouble working with the villagers, who believe the disease is a terrible curse. The population doesn't believe in Ebola.' The villagers, mostly pygmies, have been panicking and fleeing when they see WHO workers approaching, bearing syringes, wearing heavy white boots and white protective suits topped by transparent fully enclosing helmets. A possible reason for the villagers' fear is the mistreatment they received at the hands of Gabonese troops who came to their area to contain an Ebola outbreak in 1996 and 1997. The Ebola epidemic among the lowland gorillas appears to be spreading from west to east. William Karesh, head of the US Wildlife Conservation Society's Field Veterinary Programme, said there was no known way to contain the epidemic among animals. 'When people are infected we can educate them about the risk of touching or consuming dead or sick animals and, if they are sick, to immediately let authorities know so they can be isolated before they infect other people,' he said. 'But for animals, at this time, we have to let the disease run its course in the forest because there are no known treatments besides supportive care for infected humans. 'Humans definitely are the major source of spreading the disease among humans. 'The typical Ebola outbreak involves one or maybe two or three people contracting the disease from some source in the forest and then infecting family members and neighbours in a chain that can grow to hundreds of people. 'Similarly, our understanding of the social nature of chimps and gorillas suggest the same happens to them. One or a few become ill and then infect the other members of their family group. As the group is dying, some infected individuals may be left to wander off and join and infect another family group.' |