(Image source from: Is India safe from Ebola virus?})
The deadly Ebola virus is likely to spread all over the world from its originating area of West Africa. Scientists have predicted that Ebola virus will spread to other continents within three weeks. And even India is likely to be affected by this deadly strain of virus.
Researchers from US have calculated the probability of the virus spreading across the world by analysing Ebola spread patterns till now and airline traffic data.
The research shows that France has a 75 % chance of being infected with the virus by October 24. By the same time UK has 50 % chance, Belgium has a rsk of 40 %, while Spain and Switzerland have lower chance of 14 % each, according to reports.
West Africa is the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic, which resulted in more than 3,400 deaths and over 7,500 people getting infected by the virus.
Even if the air travel to the region is assumed to be reduced by 80 %, scientists predict France's risk to be 25 %, and that of the UK to be 15 %.
The Ebola spread study has been published in PLOS journal.
The first case of Ebola was diagnosed on Tuesday in Nigeria, Senegal and the US. In each of these cases people have been seen to be the carrier of this haemorrhagic fever virus.
France is expected to be hit next by the virus. Britain is in the high risk category of countries threatened by the virus, as Heathrow airport is one of the biggest travel hubs in the world. And it has frequent links to Nigeria, the country most affected by Ebola virus. Although British Airways and Emirates have suspended flights to the region, but other airlines have services linking the region.
Ebola virus is transmitted from the victim to others via bodily fluids. The virus causes internal as well as external bleeding, profuse vomiting and diarrhoea. All these these fluids have a high concentration of the virus. Infected people are unaware about the virus in their body as symptoms emerge between two and 21 days.
So it is being feared than an infected person may travel to India from Europe and unknowingly spread the disease.
(AW: Pratima Tigga)
