The deadly Ebola Virus has once again surprised experts as they discover another place where it can stay in the human body. A health worker infected with Ebola has been diagnosed and declared as the first case of interstitial pneumonia hence, the decision to move the patient to Italy for testing.
Ebola has been around for years and it has infected more than 28,000 people leaving 11,000 dead. The disease's symptoms include bleeding, nausea, high fever and diarrhea. A set of complications has also been noted in recovering patients and these are eye problems, musculoskeletal pains and lung damage.
As per The International Business Times, a research that was published in PLOS Pathogens revealed that viral RNA fragments responsible for Ebola replication appeared longer in the lungs than in the blood. The study then suggests that since the virus is actively multiplying in the lungs, a recovering Ebola patient can still pass on the virus.
The Washington Post then continues that even when the Ebola virus could not be seen in the blood anymore, a few days after, they discover that the patient has already developed significant lung injury.
"Ebola is thought to be transmitted by contact with body fluids but in the recent outbreak, we observed that this was not always the case. This study suggests that Ebola may be transmitted by breathing - something which up to now we didn't think was possible," Ali Zumla said.
With the following results and findings, researchers are now planning on tests and assessments to find out more about long-term damage caused to the lungs. Also, the research is also done to plan to take steps in confirming if the transmission of the Ebola Virus is possible through simple breathing.
