Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
Health

How the Ebola virus got its name

Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 Oct, 2014 11:13 AM
    The deadly Ebola virus that has killed over 3,300 people in West Africa since its current outbreak was confirmed in March, was christened in 1976 after a river.
     
    The virus first surfaced and caused a mysterious illness among people in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
     
    The story of how Ebola got its name is short and somewhat random, Peter Piot, co-discoverer of the virus, recalled in his memoir "No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses".
     
    The virus had surfaced in a village called Yambuku, so it could be named after the village, but the scientists realised that their decision could stigmatise the village for ever.
     
    It was Karl Johnson, another researcher from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the leader of the research team, who suggested naming the virus after a river to tone down the emphasis on a particular place, Live Science reported.
     
    The scientists found in a map that one river close to Yambuku was Ebola, meaning "Black River", in the local language Lingala.
     
    "It seemed suitably ominous," Piot wrote in his memoir.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Human milk crucial for critically ill infants

    Human milk crucial for critically ill infants
    Human milk is infant food but for critically ill babies, it can also work as a medicine, says a promising research....

    Human milk crucial for critically ill infants

    Vitamin D deficiency doubles dementia, Alzeimer's risk

    Vitamin D deficiency doubles dementia, Alzeimer's risk
    In older people, not getting enough vitamin D may double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease, says a study....

    Vitamin D deficiency doubles dementia, Alzeimer's risk

    Diabetic? Eat pistachios daily for super health

    Diabetic? Eat pistachios daily for super health
    Love pistachios? You have another reason to have these tree nuts if your sugar levels are high as eating pistachios may reduce vascular response to stress in type 2 diabetes....

    Diabetic? Eat pistachios daily for super health

    Aspirin may prevent cancer in elderly

    Aspirin may prevent cancer in elderly
    Taking aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of developing - and dying from cancers of the digestive tract, new research has found....

    Aspirin may prevent cancer in elderly

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes
    In good news for patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that consumption of whey protein before meals may help them keep insulin treatment at bay....

    'Whey' your way to tackle diabetes

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert
    There has been a rise in the number of young Indians diagnosed with knee arthritis and other problems of joints and ligaments, a health expert said Monday...

    Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert