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It was discovered that a Liberian bat was carrying the deadly Ebola virus, the cause of the current epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the first time that an animal carrying the disease was discovered in West Africa. ( Parks Cindy | pixabay )
Liberian health officials said the deadly Ebola virus, the cause of the outbreaks, had been discovered in a bat from West Africa, the region's first.
This is not the first time that has been observed in bats, since animals have long been suspected of causing epidemics. Previously, bats carrying Ebola were found in Central Africa.
Bats carrying the Ebola virus in West Africa
Despite the discovery of a bats carrier of the disease, Liberia has not reported any cases of Ebola since 2016 and mammals have not been linked to any human disease. West Africa was last affected by the virus in 2013, which lasted for three years.
During this period, the Ebola virus, which causes deadly haemorrhagic fever, has claimed the lives of thousands of people in Liberia. Now, local health officials want to share the recent identification of an infected bat in the area to warn residents of the potential effects of the disease, although the study is far from over.
"We have enough data to suggest that this is the Ebola Zaire virus, and we agree with our Liberian government partners that this information should be shared," said virologist Simon Columbia. Columbia University.
Although nothing is yet certain, the preliminary results can at least warn people to avoid the mines and caves where the bats live. However, there are many more ways to convey the infection because many people who handle, prepare and eat the animal can contract the disease.
The Zaire ebolavirus, which was found in the Liberian bat, is the same one that caused the second largest epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already killed 400 people and reported 700 cases. The largest was in West Africa, with nearly 30,000 cases of infection and 11,000 deaths, allegedly attributable to a Guinean boy with a bat-borne disease.
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