Ebola outbreak in W.Africa ‘totally out of control’ , warns MSF

West Africa is going through the second wave of Ebola outbreak and the deadly virus is now “totally out of control,” a senior official at Médecins Sans Frontières said.

More than 330 people have died in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since the Ebola disease sprang up in Africa at the beginning of this year, according to the latest figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The reality is clear that the epidemic is now in its second wave. And for me, it is totally out of control,” director of operation for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Bart Janssens, told the Associated Press Friday.

Ebola is a haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. The only available treatment is either by oral rehydration therapy or intravenous fluids but there is no vaccine.

Initially the disease was spreading slowly, but it has picked up speed in recent weeks. The situation is aggravated by the fact that people in the affected area are highly mobile, and the epidemic has spread to areas of dense population, like the capitals of Guinea and Liberia. Janssens believes the only way to stop the spread of the diseases is to change people’s behavior.

“A lot of sick people still remain in hiding or continue to travel. And there is still news that burial practices are remaining dangerous,” he said.

According to Janssens, governments of the affected countries do not realize the gravity of the situation, and the WHO is not doing enough to make them take appropriate measures. International organizations and governments should increase public education about the disease and send more health experts into the field, he said.

Janssens said the MSF was operating at its limit having only 40 international staff on the ground in four medical centers.

Agencies/Canadajournal