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The Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone said yesterday that a new species of Ebola virus has been detected in bats in the north of the country, which would bring the number of known species to six and would be the first identified for more than a decade.
The new virus called Bombali for the district where he was found, and a health ministry official said that it was unclear whether the virus could be transmitted to humans. -Press (AFP) reported yesterday.
Virus found in 5 of 241 bats
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health published by Sierra Leone Telegraph a newspaper based in Sierra Leone, the virus was found under the PREDICT Research Project on the Ebola Host, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The virus was found in 5 of 241 insectivorous bats tested and is distinct from all previously known Ebola viruses.
Peter Daszak, PhD, president of the EcoHealth Alliance, which runs the PREDICT project, told Stat that the virus has been detected. Although the researchers were unable to isolate the live virus from the samples, they identified enough viral RNA fragments to sequence an almost complete genome.
He said that a scientific document describing the virus had been prepared and was still embargoed. . He added that the Sierra Leonean government wanted to announce the conclusion to the local press to forestall rumors and launch an education campaign, reported Stat.
The government has stated that studies are underway to assess whether the virus can cause disease. Government officials and their research partners are engaging with local communities to share what we know about the new virus and how to live safely with bats.
First new Ebola virus since 2007
The first new species, Bundibugyo, was identified in 2007 in Uganda as part of an outbreak investigation. The outbreak of Ebola Zaire was at the origin of the epidemic in West Africa, which caused the death of 28,600 people, of which about 11,300 mortally, as well as an epidemic just completed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
species, three triggered epidemics in Africa: Zaire, Bundibugyo and Sudan. Tai Forest (formerly Ivory Coast) has been identified in only one human case. The Ebola Reston species, found only in the Philippines, can cause asymptomatic infections in humans, but is fatal in non-human primates and diseased pigs
See also:
July 26th AFP story [19659002] July 27th Announcement of the Government of Sierra Leone
July 27th History of the War
CDC Ebola background
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