More than 100 Americans in Dallas could have been exposed to the deadly strain ofEbola currently sweeping West Africa, after the first case on United States soil was diagnosed this week.
This strain of the virus, which has killed over 3,000 in west Africa, has a fatality rate of around 55 per cent.
That is not as high as some other strains of the virus, which have approached 90 per cent – in fact, part of the reason this strain has been able to spread further than others is that patients carry the virus for longer before they either recover or die – but it still leaves victims statistically more likely to die than not after catching it.
However, Ebola is far from the deadliest disease to ever reach US shores.
A rare but highly lethal disease which sees the nervous system infected by a type of amoeba which can be found in warm, stagnant freshwater including swimming pools and lakes.
Only five people have ever survived the disease, representing a 97 per cent fatality rate.
Infection can occur if contaminated water enters deep into the sinus cavities. There are few symptoms in the first few days of infection beyond a loss of sense of smell, but most of those infected die within 14 days of exposure.
Around 60 cases have been reported since 1975 in the US, though fewer than 300 worldwide in medical history.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW
A rare but highly lethal disease which sees the nervous system infected by a type of amoeba which can be found in warm, stagnant freshwater including swimming pools and lakes.
Only five people have ever survived the disease, representing a 97 per cent fatality rate.
Infection can occur if contaminated water enters deep into the sinus cavities. There are few symptoms in the first few days of infection beyond a loss of sense of smell, but most of those infected die within 14 days of exposure.
Around 60 cases have been reported since 1975 in the US, though fewer than 300 worldwide in medical history.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW
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