Health officials from Sierra Leone have announced that the Ebola virus death toll has already doubled in the country.
The increasing number of deaths in Sierra Leone were spared for several months following the confirmed Ebola outbreak in West Africa in March. It challenges the country's weak health system in the face of one of the world's deadliest diseases. The outbreak was frequent in Guinea since December but now, Sierra Leone has the highest number of cases and infections of Ebola. The virus spread to Guinea's capital Conakry and Liberia over its borders.
The country's health ministry, through director of disease prevention and control Dr. Amara Jambai, announced that the deaths were mostly in the Kailahun district. Out of 113 people that were tested of the disease, 42 were confirmed cases along with new recorded cases in North Kambia.
"It is very difficult for us to ascertain community deaths at this moment, but the 12 deaths are the ones the hospital can definitely confirm to have died of Ebola," Jambai said.
Two new deaths were Kailahun health workers.
"We have a community health officer in Daru, Kailahun District and also a nurse that treated the index case. She traveled from Koindu to Daru and she contracted the disease in the Koidu and traveled to Daru for medical help and fell ill in Daru, and died," Sidi Yahya Tunis, director of Information and Communication for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever that kills about 90 percent of those who get infected. It is passed on through contact with infected fluids of animals or people such as sweat, blood and urine. However, people have a good chance of surviving the disease if infection is detected early and they receive proper medical attention.
Symptoms of Ebola virus disease (EVD) include bleeding, high fever and damage to the central nervous system. Incubation period is from two to 21 days and medical care such as rehydration of patients vomiting or with diarrhea can aid with recovery. There is currently no cure or vaccine for the disease. Fruit bats are known to be the natural host of the infection.
