Report: Ebola virus in Guinea is a new strain, not imported from other African countries

CP28025334
FILE - In this Saturday, March 29, 2014 file photo, medical personnel at the emergency entrance of a hospital wait to receive suspected Ebola virus patients in Conakry, Guinea. The Ebola virus that has killed scores of people in Guinea in 2014 is a new strain _ evidence that the disease did not spread there from outbreaks in some other African nations, scientists reported Wednesday, April 16, 2014 in the New England Journal of Medicine. "The source of the virus is still not known," but it was not imported from nearby countries, said Dr. Stephan Gunther of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany. (AP Photo/Youssouf Bah)

Scientists say that the Ebola (ee-BOH’-lah) virus that has killed scores of people this year in Guinea (GIH’-nee) is a new strain. That means it did not spread there from outbreaks in some other African nations.

Researchers do not know the source of the virus. Some other outbreaks have been linked to African fruit bats.

Ebola causes internal bleeding and organ failure and is fatal in up to 90 per cent of cases. It spreads through direct contact with infected people. Knowing that the virus was not imported may help doctors control the outbreak, which has killed more than 120 people since December in West Africa, mostly in Guinea.

The report was published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles