Ebola co-discoverer concerned about spread of disease

Paris, Aug 26 (IANS/EFE) Belgian scientist and Ebola virus co-discoverer Peter Piot Tuesday expressed concern about the rapid spread of the disease, adding that affected countries should be given experimental drugs.

"We have never witnessed an epidemic of such importance," EFE reported, citing Piot as telling French daily Liberation.

The researcher, who is currently the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said we are now facing a "perfect storm" in which environmental factors contribute to the spread of the virus.

"The epidemic has soared in countries where health services do not work and in areas struck by wars. The population does not trust authorities nor the health system," he said.

Piot slammed the World Health Organisation (WHO) which he accused of acting too late, and said "the response from authorities has been too slow".

Despite the demands of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), the WHO did not react until July, "taking up the leadership when it was too late", the scientist said.

An outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea in December 2013, leading to an epidemic in west Africa after it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

--IANS/EFE

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