(Image source from: Reason for Ebola virus spread})

The researchers reported on Thursday that Ebola virus can live in and on the body of a corpse for as long as seven days. This finding explains the dangerous spread of the infection.

The World Health Organisation confirmed  this week that handling the bodies of victim, mostly during funeral rites was fueling the continued spread of the virus in West Africa.

Vincent Munster and colleagues at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, part of the National Institutes of Health injected fatal dose of Ebola into the bodies of monkeys at part of their experiment.

"Immediately after euthanasia, multiple samples were collected: oral, nasal, ocular, urogenital, rectal, skin, and blood (pooled in the body cavity) swab samples and tissue biopsy specimens: from the liver, spleen, lung, and muscle," they wrote in their report

"Carcasses were placed in vented plastic containers in an environmental chamber at 27 degrees C (80 degrees F) and 80 percent relative humidity throughout the study to mimic conditions in West Africa."

They ran various test and found evidence of genetic material from the virus as long as  10 weeks.

They found that levels of virus are very high in people who have just died of Ebola and their conditions are very similar to monkeys they studied.

"Furthermore, family members exposed to Ebola patients during late stages of disease or who had contact with deceased patients have a high risk for infection," they added. 

- Smrutirekha