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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Ebola a humanitarian catastrophe: Peter Piot
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Ebola a humanitarian catastrophe: Peter Piot

Piot says India should be vigilant as early symptoms of the virus are similar to diseases such as malaria, dengue

The international community has responded much too slowly to the outbreak, which has already affected more than 10,000 people, Piot said in an email interview. Photo: AFPPremium
The international community has responded much too slowly to the outbreak, which has already affected more than 10,000 people, Piot said in an email interview. Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Belgian microbiologist Peter Piot, who co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1976, has warned that the current outbreak of the disease wasn’t just an epidemic any more—it’s acquired the dimensions of a humanitarian crisis.

The international community has responded much too slowly to the outbreak, which has already affected more than 10,000 people, Piot said in an email interview. He said efforts to tackle Ebola must be concentrated in West Africa to ensure it doesn’t spread.

“It’s good that the UK and United States and some other countries are finally beginning to help. But other countries, especially in Europe, must do a lot more," Piot said.

“And it should be clear to all of us: this isn’t just an epidemic any more—this is a humanitarian catastrophe. We don’t just need healthcare personnel on the ground in West Africa, but also logistics experts, trucks, jeeps and foodstuffs," he said.

In September 1976, Piot, who was then working with the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, received blood samples from a Belgian nun in Zaire, now the Republic of the Congo, who had died after she was diagnosed with yellow fever.

After isolating the virus, Piot and his team found that it did not resemble any virus they knew.

And then the team got news from the World Health Organization (WHO) that Zaire was in the grip of an epidemic with a very high mortality rate. The scientists were instructed to stop all research as the labs were not equipped to handle such a dangerous virus.

The sample was sent to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, US. The CDC confirmed that this was a new virus. Piot then travelled to Zaire with several other teams, including from CDC, to find out how the disease gets transmitted and to contain the epidemic.

Piot said India should to be particularly vigilant against Ebola, as the early symptoms of the virus are similar to other prevalent diseases such as malaria and dengue.

“India has a huge population and urban centres are very densely packed, which could pose a challenge if any cases did arrive, as it makes it harder to isolate patients and trace their contacts for observation," Piot, who is director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said.

“Lack of adequate sanitation is also a problem in parts of the country. These elements could make containing Ebola cases more challenging than in some other countries," he added, noting that there are many people from India who work in trade or industry in West Africa.

“This is an opportunity for the Indian health service to strengthen its infection control measures in all hospitals in preparation for any cases of Ebola arriving in the country. It is very important that proper hygiene practices are observed in all health facilities, and that healthcare workers are properly trained to protect against the spread of the disease if any cases did arrive in India," Piot said.

Piot said flights should not be stopped from the affected countries in West Africa to other countries around the world, and that the current outbreak is already disrupting entire societies. Cutting off these countries from the rest of the world will only make the social and economic impact worse.

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Published: 29 Oct 2014, 12:16 AM IST
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