If you are currently living in West Africa, I am sure your number one concern right now is EBOLA. With over 1000 deaths since the outbreak early this year, the Ebola virus has many West Africans living in fear especially since there is no known cure or vaccine for it yet.

What many people do not realise is that Ebola is very much preventable and survivable. There are many precautionary measures you can put in place to ensure that you do not contract the virus, and in the unfortunate situation that you are infected, there is an almost 50% chance that you can survive the virus.

Before I go on to talk about how you can survive and Ebola infection, here are a few quick facts about Ebola

What is Ebola?

The Ebola virus is described as a group of viruses that cause a deadly kind of hemorrhagic fever. The term “hemorrhagic fever” means it causes bleeding inside and outside the body.

The virus has a long incubation period of approximately eight to 21 days. Early symptoms include fever, muscle weakness, sore throat and headaches.

As the disease progresses, the virus can impair kidney and liver function and lead to external and internal bleeding. It’s one of the most deadly viruses on Earth with a fatality rate that can reach between approximately 50 to 90 percent. There is no cur

Where did the disease originate from?

The first known case was documented in Sudan and Zaire in 1976. There have been several outbreaks but none as deadly and widespread as what we are currently experiencing.

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