Pictures below. The WHO says that when well managed, an
Ebola outbreak can be stopped.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is spreading
faster than efforts to control it, World Health
Organization (WHO) head Margaret Chan has
said.
She told a summit of regional leaders that
failure to contain Ebola could be
"catastrophic" in terms of lives lost.
But she said the virus, which has claimed 729
lives in four West African countries since
February, could be stopped if well managed.
Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected.
It spreads by contact with infected blood,
bodily fluids, organs - or contaminated
environments. Patients have a better chance
of survival if they receive early treatment.
Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external
haemorrhaging from areas like eyes and gums,
and internal bleeding which can lead to organ
failure.
Dr Chan was meeting the leaders of the worst-
affected countries - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone - to launch a new $100m (£59m; 75m
euro) Ebola response plan.
The plan includes funding the deployment of
hundreds more health care workers to affected
countries.
Offices are being sprayed with disinfectant in
the Liberian capital Monrovia to prevent the
spread of the Ebola virus
Analysis: David Shukman, BBC science
correspondent
Friday's summit should provide the kind of
international cooperation needed to fight
Ebola but the battle against the virus will be
won or lost at the local level. An over-
attentive family member, a careless moment
while burying a victim, a slip-up by medical
staff coping with stress and heat - a single
small mistake in basic hygiene can allow the
virus to slip from one human host to another.
The basic techniques for stopping Ebola are
well known. The problem is applying them.
Since the virus was first identified in 1976,
there have been dozens of outbreaks and all
of them have been contained. Experts point to
these successes as evidence that this latest
threat can be overcome too.
But working against them are suspicions
among local people and the unavoidable fact
that this is an extremely poor part of the
world, much of it still reeling from conflict.
Deploying the right equipment in properly
trained hands is always going to be a
struggle, one that is now extremely urgent.
Ebola since 1976
"This meeting must mark a turning point in
the outbreak response," Dr Chan said at the
summit in Guinea's capital, Conakry.
"Cases are occurring in rural areas which are
difficult to access, but also in densely
populated capital cities," she said, explaining
that the outbreak was the world's deadliest
and largest in terms of geographical areas.
The spread of the virus is dominating the
headlines in the Liberian capital Monrovia as
this news discussion board in the centre of
the city shows
Military vehicles in Liberia are displaying
warnings and advice about Ebola to prevent
panic over the spread of the virus
"It is taking place in areas with fluid
population movements over porous borders,
and it has demonstrated its ability to spread
via air travel, contrary to what has been seen
in past outbreaks," she said.
In her comments - also published on the WHO
website - Dr Chan said the virus was affecting
a large number of doctors, nurses and other
health care workers who have an essential
role in curtailing the outbreak.
"To date, more than 60 health care workers
have lost their lives in helping others. Some
international staff are infected. These tragic
infections and deaths significantly erode
response capacity," she said.
Dr Chan said that while the situation in West
Africa "must receive urgent priority for
decisive action at national and international
levels, experiences in Africa over nearly four
decades tell us clearly that, when well
managed, an Ebola outbreak can be stopped".
She pointed out that medics are not fighting
an airborne virus - transmission requires
close contact with the bodily fluids of an
infected person.
"Apart from this specific situation, the general
public is not at high risk of infection by the
Ebola virus," she said.
"At the same time, it would be extremely
unwise for national authorities and the
international community to allow an Ebola
virus to circulate widely and over a long
period of time in human populations."
She also said that:
Constant mutation and adaptation are the
survival mechanisms of viruses and it was
important not to allow opportunities for
them to deliver more surprises
Medics are not just up against a public
health problem but also a social problem
made worse by "deep-seated beliefs and
cultural practices"
Chains of transmission have moved
underground, are invisible and are not
being reported
Because of the high fatality rate, many
people prefer to care for loved ones in
their homes which hampers rapid
containment of the virus
Public attitudes can create a security
threat to response teams when fear and
misunderstanding turn to anger, hostility
or violence
Separately, the Liberian government declared
Friday a non-working holiday, during which
public and private places of work "will be shut
down" to allow a huge sanitization and
chlorination exercise in government ministries
and places of public gathering.
Information Minister Lewis Brown told the
BBC that "everywhere is shut down".
He said earlier on state radio that "the intent
is to let us come to the realisation that
something is wrong and what is wrong is
serious".
Ebola virus disease (EVD)
Symptoms include high fever, bleeding
and central nervous system damage
Fatality rate can reach 90%
Incubation period is two to 21 days
There is no vaccine or cure
Supportive care such as rehydrating
patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting
can help recovery
Fruit bats are considered to be virus'
natural host
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