According to reports Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are struggling to contain the world’s deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus.
FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth, said the virus could be transmitted by direct contact with the blood and body fluids of infected people as well as infected animals.
The West African epidemic is thought to have started when the virus crossed over from infected wildlife into the human population and subsequently began spreading among people.
“Curbing human-to-human transmission is the most important focus for governments and international health agencies,’’ Mr. Lubroth said.
However, FAO is working closely with the World Health Organisation, WHO, to raise awareness of the transmission risks from wildlife among rural communities that hunt for bushmeat – or meat obtained from the forests.
They use the bush meat to supplement their diets and income. These communities risk future spill-over from species that can carry the virus, including fruit bats.
“We are not suggesting that people stop hunting altogether, which isn’t realistic. But communities need clear advice on the need not to touch dead animals or to sell or eat the meat of any animal that they find already dead,” the FAO officer said.
“They should also avoid hunting animals that are sick or behaving strangely, as this is another red flag.”
Fruit bats, usually eaten dried or in a spicy soup, are thought to be the most likely reservoir species for the virus.
They can carry without developing clinical signs of the disease, and should be avoided altogether, according to FAO.
“The virus is killed when meat is cooked at a high temperature or heavily smoked, but anyone who handles, skins or butchers an infected wild animal is at risk of contracting the virus,” Lubroth said.
While several governments in the region have attempted to outlaw the sale and consumption of bush meat, bans have proved impossible to enforce and have met with suspicion from rural communities.
“There is a lot of mistrust, to the extent that people are hiding patients rather than getting medical help, and it’s very difficult to control the disease in the midst of many myths and rumours,” said Katinka de Balogh, FAO Veterinary Public Health Officer and Ebola focal point.
De Balogh said there were growing concerns about the effect the outbreak may have on food security in some parts of the region as some farmers are too afraid to work in their fields, while some markets have also closed down.
According to him, Ebola virus disease causes multiple organ failure and, in some cases, severe haemorrhaging. There is currently no vaccine for the disease.
FAO has already committed resources and is working with governments, WHO country offices and other partners in Guinea.
Others are Liberia and Sierra Leone to improve information about the virus at community-level, using existing networks such as rural radio and agricultural extension services. (PANA/NAN)
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