The deadly Ebola virus continues to spread. Now, Mali authorities have reported three suspected cases of the virus, and Liberia is also feelings its effects. Authorities are now rushing to contain the deadly virus as it continues to claim lives.
The three new suspected cases in Mali occurred on the border where Mali borders Guinea, according to Time magazine. In Guinea, 86 people have already died as a result of the illness, which means that it's crucial to contain the virus as quickly as possible.
"A high-speed intervention team has been created to follow the evolution of the situation on the ground," said a statement, according to Reuters. While the three victims sickened by the virus show signs of improving, it's still important to prevent its spread.
The Ebola virus first emerged in 1976. Since then, it's killed about 1,600 people total. It can cause hemorrhagic fever, which leads to muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea and, in severe cases, organ failure and external bleeding. Currently, there's no cure for the virus, and it spreads through the contact of bodily fluids or when handling the bodies of those who have died from the illness.
The first outbreak of the disease this year actually started in March in southeast Guinea in West Africa, according to RT. Overall, a suspected 134 Ebola cases were reported by the country.
"We need to fight to contain it," said Liberia's health minister Walter Gwenegale in an interview with Reuters. "A medical team from MSF came today to help train some of our health workers."
Currently, officials are continuing to try to contain the virus by isolating individuals suspected of being infected. Yet because Guinea borders so many other countries, it's difficult to police its spread; that said, governments are doing all they can in order to halt its spread.
