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A new type of Ebola virus was discovered on bats in Sierra Leone, two years after the end of an epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa, the government said on Thursday.
It is still unclear whether the new type of virus, known as Bombali, which the researchers say could be transmitted to humans, can turn into a deadly Ebola disease.
At present, it is not yet known whether Bombali's Ebola virus has been transmitted to humans or if it causes disease in humans, but it has the potential to infect human cells, "he said. AFP Amara Jambai, a senior official at the Ministry of Health
"These are the first steps," Jambai said, urging people to remain calm while waiting for further research.
A Ministry of Health Spokesperson and a Researcher Who worked on the discovery confirmed the information to AFP.
The researchers who discovered the new virus in the district of Bombali, in the north of Sierra Leone, cooperate with the government to determine if human beings have
"As a precaution, people should refrain from eating bats," said Harold Thomas, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, to AFP.
The worst Ebola outbreak, a hemorrhagic fever, began in December 2013 in southern Guinea before spreading to two neighboring West African countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone. [19659002] The epidemic in West Africa, caused by the Zaire type of the virus, has been historically the deadliest in humans since the Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in the former Zaire, today DRC
This epidemic has killed more than 11,300 people out of nearly 29,000 registered cases, according to estimates by the World Health Organization.
Five distinct types of Ebola virus have so far been reported: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston, and Taï Forest
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