“Ebola runs your body to liquid in a couple of days.”
Thanks for bring that up. I just read a few days ago an “expert” that said the same thing. He said Ebola turns everything, including bones, into mush in a couple of days. He said that this outbreak is actually Marburg.
Anyone know anything more about this? I tried a little research and it quickly becomes confused with “same family”, etc. references.
I don’t guess it makes much difference. Same results, but it would be nice to know if this has been “confused” from the start and they are just sticking with the name.
The first reports back in March said:
“Guinean experts had been unable to identify the highly contagious disease - whose symptoms include high fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding - since it was first recorded in February.
The health ministry said three of 12 virus samples sent to France were confirmed as Ebola, according to results they received on Friday.”
also
“if you have to fall sick with a viral hemorrhagic fever from the Marburg-Ebola family, which one should you choose?
Go with Marburg. Though we don’t know very much about how these viruses work, history suggests that between a quarter and half of all people who get Marburg die from it; there is a 90 percent mortality rate among those who contract Ebola. These numbers may be revised in light of the Marburg outbreak in Angola, however. Early reports indicate a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent.”
Anyone know anything more about this? I tried a little research and it quickly becomes confused with “same family”, etc. references.
No, Ebola does not cause the body to turn into mush. I think someone took The Hot Zone a little too literally when they said that.
Ebola and Marburg are cousins, both of the filovirus family, and cause nearly identical disease. This outbreak is not Marburg. Since testing for illness involves looking directly at the virus genome, it is impossible to mistake Marburg for Ebola or vice versa. In fact, these tests are so specific for the Ebola Zaire virus that they won't detect virus at all if a different kind of Ebola virus is tested.
“if you have to fall sick with a viral hemorrhagic fever from the Marburg-Ebola family, which one should you choose?
I would choose Ebola Reston, since it has never caused a human death, although testing showed that 15 people have had it.
The overall death rate of Marburg is 80%. The overall death rate of Ebola (all strains) is 67%. The overall death rate of Ebola Zaire, the strain responsible for this outbreak, is 79%. The death rate for this particular outbreak cannot be accurately determined because the outbreak is ongoing and we do not know the disposition of every case, but the interim death rate is less than 60%.
I don't know who that "expert" you read the other day is, but it is clear that he knows nothing about Ebola or Marburg.