Ebola Virus

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

The virus was originally circulating among bats or gorillas in the forests of western Africa. Deforestation is putting humans in closer contact with bats, who may be carrying the disease.

“Extensive deforestation and human activities in the depth of the forests may have promoted direct or indirect contact between humans and a natural reservoir of the virus,” wrote researchers in a 2012 study.

The tropical forest region of western Africa now has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are all watching their rain forests get chopped down at a furious pace. This raises the possibility that the current Ebola outbreak, which has now claimed more than 900 lives, won’t be the last.