One of the most deadly and lethal viruses known to man is going to become an major biological issue due to the number of deaths in recent years and potency of the virus. There is also a scare and panic about imported Ebola monkeys sent over seas for medical experiments in Japan (Ebola and Trade). In the past, there have been different diseases, which have spread through bacteria or organisms in traded goods on ships or even planes. No countries are willing to trade with Africa because of the risk of Ebola, Africa and small towns in Africa are dying out and more importantly the virus is spread faster.
Yellow Fever traveled in the slave trade ships through the water barrels in which the mosquitoes laid eggs. Other diseases travel in mysterious ways; of those viruses scientists are still baffled on how the disease traveled. This only supports the idea of elucidating on Ebola and the ways the virus travels. (Ebola and trade). Ebola ravages the economies of the countries it affects. Economic fallouts for general tourism have been catastrophic. After a 2012 outbreak, the Uganda Tourism Association said it expected to lose millions of dollars as people canceled their vacations.
It was most keenly felt in the Kibaale district, which is home to a national park known for its abundant population of mountain gorillas and was otherwise a top vacation spot (ibtimes). But the tourists were “absolutely petrified,” according to John Hunwick, a British businessman who told the Associated Press that he had lost $6,000 when clients canceled their trips (ibtimes).
The Ebola virus and the decision not to import the rhesus, cynomolgus and African green monkeys into Japan not only directly affects trade in that there is less trade in these monkeys, but possibly indirectly affects trade in that helpful research is not being done, and new products are not being made (ibtimes). With trade being a key part in Africa’s economy, internal trade will be more common within Africa, which means the virus will potentially spread more throughout the boundaries of Africa. Another cause of the virus is the potential for immigrants to carry the virus from country to country. The virus has leaped from forested Guinea to West Africa to Conakry (Baker).
One variation of Ebola found in China and the Philippines did make it to a U. S.laboratory via infected macaques, but according to the WHO, no illness or death in humans has ever resulted from that particular strain (Baker). Some countries are already taking precautions (Baker). Saudi Arabia has announced the suspension of visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia (Baker). NPR news reported that neighboring countries fear the virus may have crossed Guinea’s borders. Liberia’s health minister says his agency is investigating the deaths of five people who came from Guinea.
Nearby Mauritania has closed its frontiers with Guinea’s neighbors (Quist-Arcton 1). People must understand the difficulty of containing the virus. It is because of the random number of outbreaks in these small towns that keep the virus hard to contain (Tonkara and Shrinath). Bats and other animals contribute to the issue where the virus potentially traveling from country to country. Most travelers will not travel after getting sick so the harm of a human spreading the virus to another country is a lot lower than an Ebola infected monkey sent Japan for testing (Ebola and Trade). Ebola is found in Fruit bats, which transfer the virus to other animals by biting into fruits, which are consumed by humans.
Humans contract Ebola by coming in contact with the bodily fluids of the infected animals, like chimps, gorillas, bats, and antelopes. Once infected, a human becomes a carrier of the deadly virus. Ebola spreads by affecting those who touch the fluids of the infected humans (Tonkara and Shrinath). Other cases include people receiving the virus through Bushmeat (RICHARDSON). Poachers who are given the option to either die from hunger or survive and eat an antelope of which might be infected with Ebola (RICHARDSON).
Many groups like the African Network for Animal Welfare work to educate villagers; however the villagers have no education and find these groups to be harmful to their tradition (RICHARDSON). Many also find the idea of selling carcasses, like the Ebola infected antelope mentioned earlier, as a source of income. The last cause has to do with African burials and anthropologists more than bats, monkeys or immigrants. During the 2000 person infection of Ebola, Barry Hewlett a medical anthropologist was asked to joining the World Health Organization. Hewlett remembers people were afraid of the international health care workers (“WhyAnthropologists Join An Ebola”).
Hewlett recalled how many Africans would view isolation units in contempt because some believed the isolation units would take the infected and never return or be seen again (“Why Anthropologists Join An Ebola”). Hewlett, while in Africa, learned something new (“Why Anthropologists Join An Ebola”). He learned some Africans believed in traditional beliefs that if you stand close to a dead person with gemo, it’s easy for the spirit to catch you (“Why Anthropologists Join An Ebola”).
Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola (“Ebola virus disease”). An example of how African burials can be the cause of many cases of Ebola could be a case in where a 3-year-old child died and over 36 fell ill of those who came to the funeral. Uganda’s president warned people this week to avoid unnecessary contact in which bodily fluids can be exchanged, including kissing, handshaking, and home funerals. In rural areas, family members can sometimes prepare the bodies of loved ones for burial. Ebola kills 90% of the people it infects and continues to spread rapidly without many of us knowing how.