Centers for Disease Control (CDC) officials yesterday said the Ebola virus has been largely limited to West Africa and has not reached the eastern part of the continent or Asia, in a bid to reassure the public two days after a Hong Kong woman complained of suspected Ebola symptoms following a trip to Kenya.
“The WHO’s disease surveillance data on the Ebola virus show that the current outbreak of the virus has spread to only four countries — Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria,” CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. “The woman with the suspected case of Ebola in Hong Kong only went to Kenya, which is in East Africa and outside of the affected areas.”
Hong Kong health authorities have yet to receive any report of cases that meet the criteria for a suspected Ebola infection, and the female traveler tested negative for the virus and was discharged from hospital, Chuang said.
The woman, 39, reportedly suffered fever, dizziness and vomiting after returning home on Monday from Kenya, triggering fears that the Ebola virus might spread to Asia.
WHO statistics show that as of Sunday, a total of 1,323 confirmed cases of Ebola were reported since the outbreak began in West Africa in February, and 729 of those people died.
The Ebola virus has an incubation period of two to 21 days, during which time people infected with the virus are not contagious.
Infection is caused by close contact with the bodily fluids or organs of an infected person and is characterized by sudden onset of high fever, muscle pain and headaches, the agency said. The early symptoms are followed by a sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and bleeding, it said.
“The virus could also cause more severe symptoms, such as liver damage, renal failure, central nervous system lesions and even organ failure. It has a high fatality rate of up to 90 percent,” the centers said, adding that people who die of the disease are still contagious after death and the virus could be caught through direct contact with a corpse or contaminated environment.
In light of the Ebola outbreak, the centers on Monday upgraded its travel notice for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to a level-two alert, urging travelers planning to visit those countries to maintain strict personal hygiene and avoid consumption of or contact with ill or deceased wild animals, particularly monkeys and apes.
“Tourists are also advised to monitor their health within 21 days of visiting the aforementioned areas,” the centers said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) told a Cabinet meeting that the ministry would implement three preventive measures against Ebola.
“The ministry will step up monitoring of the Ebola outbreak and establish a national disease control task force on the disease once a suspected case is reported in the country. Second, the ministry will facilitate communications with the public by publishing disease prevention brochures and setting up a Web site about the virus, and third, we plan to coordinate personnel and resources in a manner sufficient to tackle a pandemic,” Chiu said.
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