Ebola Outbreak Puts Women， Children， Elderly， and Poor More Vulnerable and Illiteracy Hinders the Efforts to Control Epidemic

An Ebola virus outbreak which started in Guinea in December last year has now spread to Liberia， Sierra Leone， and Nigeria. And as of last week WHO has reported 2127 cases and 1145 deaths so far from the epidemic in West Africa. The outbreak is caused by Zaire ebolavirus known simply as Ebola Virus. World Health Organization has reported that children， women， and elderly are more vulnerable to disease in poverty ridden rural areas of these countries. First ever human cases of Ebola Virus infection was reported in Guinea last December， researchers believe， when a six old kid died of it in rural areas of Guinea and since it has spread to different parts of Western Africa. Although many countries have started contributing towards efforts to control epidemic but ignorance and illiteracy remains one of biggest concerns in treating those infected by the virus. Cases have been reported where medical teams have been attacked by angry mobs and those who believe in superstitions and have attempted to keep medical care away from the victims. Some people in affected countries believed in rumors that disease is caused by sorcery and that medics are killing patients so medical teams have been attacked and denied access to patients making containment efforts difficult for the aid workers.