Ebola Virus Outbreak in West Africa Slowing, But Still Ongoing

Medical staff from the World Health Organization as well as Doctors Without Borders flocked to Guinea following an unabated Ebola Virus outbreak that began in February. The virus has slowed, but diagnoses and deaths are still occurring.

The World Health Organization reported a total of 157 confirmed/suspected cases of the virus in Guinea and 22 in Liberia, with death tolls having amassed to 101 and 14. Sierra Leone and Mali have numbers in the single digits for confirmed/suspected cases and deaths.

Isolation and treatment centers provided by the Ministry of Health of Guinea in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization have helped halt the violent spread of the virus, and even guided eight people to recovery. There is no cure, vaccine, or official treatment for the virus, but doctors can help alleviate the symptoms with IV antibiotics and help with nutritional intake.

The journey has been particularly dangerous for health care workers, of which 15 reported symptoms of the Ebola virus. On April 7, the WHO reported 95 deaths in Guinea, seven deaths in Liberia, and 14 infected health care workers. This proves that there's been a gradual decrease in the virus' prevalence, but it still remains a concern.

According to Barbara Knust of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first seven to 10 days after infection is the peak of the illness. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding, fatigue, and muscle aches. The doctors try to mitigate the symptoms, but the only way to know if the virus is completely gone is to run numerous blood tests after a patient is symptom-free for a few days.

And although the virus affects the body physically, mental health issues linger with the infected patients. The trauma of having experienced such an acute illness or losing a family member to the illness can negatively affect someone. This is especially true since those infected are quarantined; they feel poorly about themselves and have to deal with the stigma of the virus.

"Health workers will do a lot of things, especially holding hands with [the patients], to publicly demonstrate that they're not afraid of these people," said Knust in this NPR article.