These days, various viruses are continuing to spread on Earth. As the COVID-19 virus spread significantly in 2020, many people died and even more are living with aftereffects. Meanwhile, a virus with a higher fatality rate than the COVID-19 virus appeared in West Africa.

The virus is called Ebola. Foruntately, the virus does not spread as fast as COVID-19. Instead, the rate of diffusion is significantly lower. However, if diagnosed with Ebola the patient is substantially less likely to survive because the virus's fatality rate is over 90%. Why is the fatality rate so high?

The epidemic is caused by a potent pathogen that can be transmitted with only a small amount of body fluid, causing high fever and internal organ bleeding accompanied by cold symptoms. It causes patients to die in a short period.

Therefore, this disease prevents the host from being alive for a long time. In West Africa, the Ebola virus broke out in late 2013 around the capital of Guinea. There was a record 11,000 deaths from Ebola in Guinea in 2016.

As of February 15, 2021, DR Congo had two out of four deaths, showing a 50% fatality rate, while Guinea had three out of seven deaths, reaching a 42.9% fatality rate. The mortality rate of the Ebola virus varies depending on the type of virus or the country's health care system level. Still, overall, it has a high mortality rate of 25 to 90%. Therefore, it is crucial to follow the precautions to prevent infection with the Ebola virus.

Symptoms are usually expressed after an incubation period of 2 to 21 days, and the patient is contagious after symptoms begin. Initial symptoms include fever, poor appetite, helplessness, general weakness, muscle pain, and headache, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Hospitals have also identified reduced white blood cells, decreased platelets, increased hepatic enzyme levels, and diagnostic tests that show specific genes in samples such as blood and body fluids.

If you catch the virus, the fatality rate is high, so you should prevent it before then. People should practice social distancing and be careful of coming into contact with the saliva of others.

L.L.F reporter Bo Ra-Park