It lives in the woods - hiding there isn't a good idea.
Scientists have identified a total of five species of ebolavirus, four native to Africa and one to the Philippines. They are all zoonoses, meaning animal infections transmissible to humans. They reside quietly in some species of wildlife, this or that forest creature, from which they spill over occasionally to cause mayhem and death in people. Ebola virus can only pass from person to person by direct contact with bodily fluids, and therefore an outbreak is stoppable by simple isolation and Âbarrier nursing, or the careful handling of patients and corpses, once enough medical gloves, gowns, goggles, rubber boots, body bags and knowledge have reached the scene.
Although the outbreak is eventually halted, the virus isnÂt gone. It hides in the forest within some hospitable animal, its reservoir host. The identity of the reservoir host (or hosts) for Ebola virus is unknown, but three species of fruit bat are suspected. One of those species, the hammer-headed fruit bat, lives in forests from the Congo basin as far west as southeastern Guinea and is sizable enough to be attractive as human food.
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People around the world have read such horrific tales about Ebola that they tend to dread it inordinately, sometimes with dark fascination, as though itÂs a preternatural killer. It is not. ItÂs a horrible virus if you catch it, but itÂs not easy to catch.
It afflicts poor African people who live in villages amid forest and are obliged by scarcity of options to eat bats, apes and other wild creatures, found dead or captured live.
Ebola in Guinea is not the Next Big One, an incipient pandemic destined to circle the world, as some anxious observers might imagine. ItÂs a very grim and local misery, visited upon a small group of unfortunate West Africans, toward whom we should bow in sympathy and continue sending help. ItÂs not about our fears and dreads. ItÂs about them.
HTH.
Cheers,
Scott.