Hi jim,
Ebola, for those who don't know, is just the most well known of several different types of hemorrhagic fever. Another well known type would be dengue, a mosquito transmitted disease. Lesser known types might include Lassa fever and Marberg (Marburg????) fever.
There are basically 4 different strains of Ebola, of which only 3 occur in humans, the 4th occurring only in non-human primates (like monkeys). The 3 types occurring in humans are named for the areas in Africa where they are found. All 3 of these strains are quite deadly at their worst, though I'm not sure of the exact death rate or recovery rates.
The reservoir (in medical terms, the "pool" where the virus survives before an epidemic outbreak occurs) is unknown for Ebola, but is thought to be strictly limited to a single species or two of mammals found only in Africa. The vectors of transmission for Ebola are also not proven, but certainly might include mosquitoes, close or even casual contact with infected people or animals, as well as the strong likelihood of airborne transmission of body fluids.
Efforts continue to research the Ebola virus, with the eventual hope of an effective vaccination being developed. So far, medical science is not even close to discovering a vaccine yet, let alone trying to find an effective cure.
West Nile Virus is a different story. The disease is well researched, one vaccine is already available for equines, and a vaccine for humans may be available as near as 4 years into the future. Fortunately, WNV is now known to be spread only by the Culex variety of mosquito, and the hosts are well known to be birds/fowl and equines.
KJC |
