A German scientist from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg believes that reaction to the latest Ebola epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone has come too late, and that these two nations could now face a severe public health emergency that may spread elsewhere in the western region of the Dark Continent. In a recent interview with the Spanish edition of the Deutsche Welle, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit explained that his colleagues are slowly losing hope.

 

The virologist emphasized that the assessment from the Bernhard Nocht Institute does not mean that the current measures to contain the outbreak should be abandoned. In fact, it is crucial to monitor the spread of this viral hemorrhagic fever so that it does not extend to countries such as Nigeria and Senegal. Herr Schmidt-Chanasit added that the public health officials around the world should strongly support all efforts to develop an Ebola vaccine as quickly as possible; specifically, governments should fund these efforts and encourage private research.

 

The somber outlook by Herr Schmidt-Chanasit comes at a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) is expecting that thousands of Ebola infections could develop within a month. At this point, emergency relief measures in Liberia are focused on improving the quality of healthcare.

 

Ebola is a highly nosocomial infection, which means it often originates in hospitals and clinics. This is a disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, although ongoing research seems to suggest that there is a chance of respiratory transmission. It is believed that certain African sepulchral customs that call for directly handling and washing the dead could be enabling this particular contagion.

 

In Costa Rica, the Minister of Public Health issued a top-level communique on the Ebola virus a few weeks ago. At this time, the Minister defines suspicious Ebola cases as those that could be found people who have been in Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, or Sierra Leone within the last 3 weeks, and who have also developed flu-like symptoms in addition to a sudden fever higher than 38.5 Celsius. Since the Ebola virus can also be weaponized, the Minister also called for an update of the protocols that Costa Rica should follow in case of a bio-terrorism attack.