Where in the world is Ebola?

Ebola: a scary word that has been floating around international media for the past few weeks. For those of you who don’t know, Ebola is a life-threatening disease that is currently happening in West Africa – in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. (There is also a PCV, who was in my sorority but in another chapter, that I connected with on Facebook in Cameroon that said the northern part of the country was evacuated to the south because of the outbreak nearby.) Currently there have been 1,145 deaths (and 2,127 cases) because of the disease in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria. That number keeps exponentially increasing each day.

A closeup map of West Africa

Here are some quick facts about the virus:

• The virus was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976
• It can have a fatality rate of up to 90% depending on the strain of the virus (there are five different strains, two of which people have never died from)
• The virus is transmitted from animals to humans and from sick humans to other humans
• Transmission of Ebola happens through contact of bodily fluids: sweat, vomit, diarrhea, saliva, blood, semen (for up to 7 weeks after a man is infected, he can still pass the virus through his semen), secretions from the human body, and other fluids
• It is believed the virus originated from fruit bats
• It is also believed people first contracted the disease when handling or eating infected animals in the bush
• People believe the sacred burial ceremonies are one of the causes for the quick transmission between the human population
• Symptoms include: sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, a rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and/or external bleeding (some of which can mimic other diseases and illnesses such as malaria)
• The incubation period is between 2 and 21 days
• There is no current vaccine, though there is one in the works
• Currently, the virus is spreading faster than the World Health Organization can control it
• This outbreak is unique because it started in Guinea, which has never had an outbreak before

The Ebola virus

Previously there were many instances in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Sudan. It is being said now that it could take up to, if not more than, 6 months to control the current Ebola outbreak. The WHO is going house to house doing health checks on people in the area.

With all those scary things said, let’s think about the placement of the virus at this current moment. Currently, I live in Nauela, Zambézia, Mozambique. So let’s round it out and just think about Mozambique in general.

• The distance from Mozambique to Sierra Leone is 3,726 miles.
  
  

  Mozambique to Sierra Leone

• The distance from Mozambique to Guinea is 3,659 miles.
• The distance from Mozambique to Liberia is 3,522 miles.
• The distance from Mozambique to Nigeria is 2,649 miles. 
  
  

  Mozambique to Nigeria

Now, let’s think about that in terms that we all understand.

• 2,475 miles is the same as going from Los Angeles to New York City.
  
  

  Los Angeles to New York City

• 3,084 miles is the same as going from Portland, Maine to Los Angeles.
  
  

  Portland, Maine to Los Angeles

• 4,951 miles is the same as going from Anchorage, Alaska to Miami, Florida.
  
  

  Anchorage, Alaska to Miami, Florida

Needless to say, I am VERY far away from this epidemic.

I understand people back home are worried about Mozambique contracting the virus, but the roads here are nothing in comparison to America’s roads. Most roads are small, terrible, two-lane roads and sometimes they aren’t even paved. Traveling around is difficult, and that’s one of the reasons that I believe this epidemic won’t spread down to Mozambique.

Africa is a continent with somewhere between 54 and 57 countries at this present moment (due to wars and conflict, the number is constantly changing). I also couldn’t find one definitive answer.

A map of the continent of Africa

The important thing to remember is that I am safe right now. The only worry I have about Mozambique right now is the upcoming Presidential election in October. Even then, I’m relying on Peace Corps and the staff here to keep me safe if something goes south. Overall, I trust Peace Corps to keep me safe during my two years here. If something happens in Mozambique and Peace Corps’ response isn’t something I’m comfortable with, I know I can leave and return to America at any moment. So, with that being said, there is no reason to worry about my health!

Again, thanks for all the support, kind messages, and people generally caring about how I’m doing, what I’m up to, and how my health is. It means a lot to have that kind of overwhelming support from home. Now, turn off the scary news about Ebola and go for a walk outside to clear your head and calm your worries!

 

Below are the links to the webpages I used to help write this blog post:
WHO Website: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28807281
CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/11/health/ebola-fast-facts/
All maps were used from google maps.
Other photos were used from google images.