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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Inside one of the world’s deadliest forests – and the bushmeat hunters risking contagion

Telegraph Ebola, Marburg and never-before-seen infections are spilling over into Guinea’s hunter communities. Scientists fear biological catastrophe.

The village of Bouolazou, nestled away in the sprawling bush of southern Guinea, cannot be reached by car. Only motorbikes with deep-grooved tyres can make the journey, navigating an estuary of narrow tracks that wind over rocky hills and under vast green canopies.

Those living here lead a basic life. The buildings stand squat, made of mud and brick and capped with tin roofs. There is no electricity or sanitation, while a single pump serves as the main source of water. Food can be scarce, scavenged daily from the surrounding forest.

It seems to be a largely unremarkable place – yet the blood of the village’s huntsmen and traders hold a trove of scientific secrets.

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