The BBC reports that nine more cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 174 people have died so far from this outbreak of what is often called the world’s most deadly disease (so far).
The BBC still does not discuss what strain of Ebola we’re talking about. Ebola Zaire is the deadliest strain of the virus, proving fatal to 80-90% of those who contract it, whereas pussyass pantywaist Ebola Sudan only kills about 57% of its victims.
What’s even more interesting, however, is something else the BBC chose to report, as general interest, without documentation to this specific outbreak.
The virus is thought to be transmitted through the consumption of infected bush meat and can also be spread by contact with the blood secretions of infected people.
“Bush meat,” in African usage, is most commonly a euphemism for the eating of great apes — gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Worldwide, the bushmeat trade includes the illicit hunting or sale of any wild animal, but in Africa it’s usually used to indicate dining on the flesh of our primate cousins.
In December of last year, the BBC reported on a study that found more than 5,000 gorillas had been killed by Ebola in Central Africa (the DRC and Gabon). The scientists, from the University of Barcelona, expressed concern that coupled with the commercial hunting of gorillas, the outbreak might be enough to push the western gorilla to extinction.
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Image via cia.gov.