Ebola Breaks Out In West Africa With Very High Case Fatality Rate

Animal Reservoir Uncertain But Area Residents Warned Not To Eat Meat From Forest Bats And Other Bush Animals

A deadly outbreak of Ebola virus has erupted for the first time in Guinea and in neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa. The number of suspected and confirmed cases has climbed to 103 with 66 deaths and an estimated 64% case fatality rate. The 14 suspected cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone have had a history of travel to the affected region in Guinea. The World Health Organization also reports that 5 of the cases have been detected in Conakry the capital of Guinea. The travel histories of cases and contact tracing are being undertaken in an effort to limit further spread of the outbreak.

The suspected reservoir of Ebola is forest bats but some cases of Ebola have been linked to fresh meat from other bush animals. The appearance of the virus in West Africa for the first time could be explained by the bats which are capable of traveling long distances such as those between West Africa and Central Africa where the virus was first discovered in 1976. The New York Times reports that the government of Guinea has banned bat soup because fruit bats are a popular food in West Africa cooked.