Bolivia confirms death from Ebola-like virus so rare only 15 cases have ever been reported
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It is still unclear how the farmer contracted Chapare Hemorrhagic Fever, but it is primarily caught through contact with infected rodents. Copy link. twitter. facebook. whatsapp. A Bolivian man has died after contracting Chapare virus, an Ebola-like disease so rare that there have only ever been 15 confirmed cases.
The man, a farmer in his 50s, came down with a headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, then began vomiting and bleeding from his gums on December 19th. He died in hospital just 11 days later, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Test results later confirmed he had been infected with Chapare Hemorrhagic Fever.
The virus was first discovered in rural Bolivia in 2003. Since then, at least fifteen people have contracted the disease, all of them in Bolivia, and eight have died; meaning the virus has a fatality rate of almost 60 per cent. The virus belongs to a family of serious diseases that can cause haemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses.
It is not exactly clear how the man, from the La Paz region, contracted Chapare, although it is primarily caught through contact with the saliva, urine, and droppings of infected rodents like rats or mice. An investigation carried out by health authorities found a severe rodent infestation in and around the man’s home, as well as poor housing conditions which “created a conducive environment for rodent activity,” the WHO said.
