Female Ebola Survivor Infects Family Member In Case That Highlights Mysteries That Still Exist Around Virus
Experts were left wondering how the virus hid inside the woman for 13 months before re-emerging in lethal form.
The New York Times:
For The First Time, A Female Ebola Survivor Infects Others
For the first time, scientists have found evidence that a woman can harbor the Ebola virus for more than a year and then infect others. The discovery involved transmission within a Liberian family in the closing days of the West African epidemic that lasted from December 2014 to mid-2016. More than 28,600 people were infected and 11,325 died. (McNeil, 7/23)
The Washington Post:
Ebola In Survivor’s Family Shows Deadly Virus’s Lasting Effects
The study, in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, is the first indication of transmission from a female Ebola survivor, highlighting the continued risk for a resurgence of cases and the potential for large-scale outbreaks long after there is no longer active disease spread. The epidemic in West Africa sickened more than 28,000 people, including more than 11,000 who died across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. A few cases have been reported of sexual transmission from the semen of male survivors; there has also been one report suggesting that the virus spread through a survivor’s breast milk. (Sun, 7/23)
