Samples from victims of a viral hemorrhagic fever that has killed more than a hundred people in Guinea have tested positive for the Ebola virus, government officials said, marking the first time an outbreak among humans has been detected in this West African nation.
Government spokesman Damantang Albert Camara said the virus was found in tests conducted at a laboratory in Lyon, France. A Health Ministry statement said 80 cases including 59 deaths had been reported, most of them in three southern prefectures near neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Previous Ebola outbreaks have been reported in Congo and Uganda, most recently in 2012. The only prior case of a human contracting the virus in West Africa came in 1994, when a scientist fell ill while responding to Ebola cases among chimpanzees in a national park in Ivory Coast, said Esther Sterk, tropical disease adviser for Doctors Without Borders. The scientist eventually recovered.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Officials have not been able to determine how Ebola was introduced, though that can result from contact with an infected animal like a bat or a monkey. Among humans the disease is transmitted through bodily fluids.
Officials have also been unable to determine the subtype of Ebola, which would give them a better idea of the fatality rate, Sterk said. The fatality rate for Ebola can range from 25 to 90 percent.
(AP)
在幾內亞已造成超過百人死亡的一種病毒性出血熱患者檢體中，檢驗出伊波拉病毒陽性反應，政府官員說，顯示該病毒在這個西非國家首度被發現在人際間傳播。
政府發言人卡馬拉表示，該病毒是在法國里昂實驗室進行的檢驗中發現的。衛生部聲明說，已通報八十起病例，其中五十九人死亡，多數病例集中在接近鄰國獅子山共和國與賴比瑞亞的三個南部省份。
此前獲報的伊波拉疫情爆發是在剛果與烏干達，最近一次是二０一二年。在西部非洲唯一人類感染該病毒的前例是在一九九四年，當時一名科學家在處理象牙海岸國家公園黑猩猩的伊波拉病例時染病，「無國界醫生」熱帶疾病顧問艾斯特‧史特克說。該名科學家最後痊癒。
官員尚未能判定伊波拉是如何感染給人類，雖然這可能肇因於與染病動物，例如蝙蝠或猴子接觸所致。而人際間的傳染是透過體液。
官員也無法判定該伊波拉亞型病毒，以便進一步了解其致死率，史特克說。伊波拉的致死率可能介於百分之二十五到百分之九十之間。
（美聯社／翻譯：魏國金）
A: In your view, what are Taipei’s top buffet restaurants? B: Feastogether Group’s outlets — A Joy, Inparadise, Eatogether, Sunrise and Fruitful Food — are the runners-up. A: A Joy’s deluxe meal, priced at NT$3,880 per person plus a 10-percent service charge, is the most expensive of its kind. B: My No. 1 goes to Hi-Lai Group’s outlets — including Island and Hi-Lai Harbour. A: I feel like I’ve gained 3 kilograms just from hearing all the options. A: 你心目中最強的吃到飽餐廳是？ B: 亞軍是饗賓集團的吃到飽品牌︰饗、饗饗、饗食天堂、旭集、果然匯。 A: 饗每人高達3,880台幣加一成，是全台最貴的吃到飽！ B: 冠軍則是漢來集團旗下的品牌︰島語、漢來海港。 A: 哈聽到這麼多吃到飽，我感覺又胖了3公斤。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: In recent years, all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants have become the highest growing dining sector. What are some of the best buffets in Taipei? B: In my opinion, No. 10 to No. 7 are: Renaissance Taipei Shihlin Hotel’s Shihlin Kitchen, Denwell Group’s Feng Food, Grand Mayfull Hotel Taipei’s Palette and Shin Yeh Group’s Nagomi. A: The all-you-can-eat Japanese Wagyu beef at Shihlin Kitchen is superb. B: No. 6 to No. 3 are the “Big Four:” Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel’s Kitchen 12, Grand Hyatt Taipei’s The Cafe, Regent Taipei’s Brasserie and Le Meridien Taipei’s Discovery Kitchen. A: Wow, all four
While dogs are often praised for being loyal and the go-to choice for security, another creature offers a surprisingly effective alternative: the goose. These highly territorial birds have sharp senses, including keen eyesight and hearing. They can be conditioned to recognize people and __1__ familiar and unfamiliar individuals. Compared to dogs, geese are cost-effective solutions for guarding large areas because they don’t require daily walks or special __2__. History has demonstrated their effectiveness in security roles. Back in 390 BC during a surprise attack by the Gauls, the Romans were caught off guard. A __3__ of geese was disturbed
In more recent history, geese have been employed in many security settings. As early as 1959, the Ballantine’s whisky distillery in Scotland had some geese __5__ its valuable stock. In 1986, over 900 geese were deployed across US military bases as an early warning system against intruders. They are far cheaper and, in some cases, more __6__ than electronic security systems. Even in modern times, the geese’s role as a guard hasn’t __7__. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China stationed hundreds of geese along its border with Vietnam to prevent illegal crossings and control the spread of the virus. In
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