Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

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cronus
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Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

Post by cronus » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:30 pm

http://io9.com/why-is-ebola-deadlier-th ... 1205840780

Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

Ebola is the nightmare virus. It kills ninety percent of people infected, and was for some time feared as the second coming of the plagues of the 1400s. Why is this one virus so much more deadly than other viruses?

Ask people to pick a virus that might, under the right circumstances, end the world, and they'll generally say "ebola." This is a virus that's known for its deadliness, and it earned its reputation. There are five different strains of ebola, and each is named after the zone in which it first turned up. Ebola's least deadly strain is Reston, which was first discovered in monkeys in a quarantine facility in Reston, Virginia. It was traced to the Philippines, where it seems to reside in both wild and domesticated pigs. This discovery caused a panic in the US, a bestselling book, and a blockbuster movie, but this version of the virus is completely asymptomatic in humans. It has never killed anyone.

Ebola's deadliest strain is Zaire. It was the first strain discovered in 1976, when it killed nearly 300 people. It's a hemorrhagic fever, which means it attacks the vascular system, wearing down blood vessel walls and preventing blood from clotting. All hemorrhagic fevers are dangerous, and none have any real course of treatment to attack the virus, as opposed to drugs meant to minimize complications and techniques prevent dehydration. A relative of ebola, Marburg fever, kills forty-to-eighty percent of those infected, but the Zaire strain of ebola has a ninety percent fatality rate. Of the hemorrhagic fevers, why does ebola stand out?

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Re: Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

Post by laklak » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:31 pm

Because it was invented by Satan, of course.
Yeah well that's just, like, your opinion, man.

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Re: Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

Post by cronus » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:34 pm

laklak wrote:Because it was invented by Satan, of course.
Unlike other viruses that kill this has all your insides oozing out first....that's Satan alright. :cheers:
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