A brief summary of Ebola and other filoviruses: 1. Filoviruses cause hemorrhagic fever in humans and primates. 2. There are only two members of this virus family – Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus. 3. Five types of Ebolavirus have been identified – Tai Forest (Cote d’Ivoire), Sudan, Zaire, Reston and Bundibugyo. Reston does not cause severe disease in humans, but has been recovered from infected swine in South-East Asia. 4. Marburg was discovered in Germany when laboratory workers in Germany and former Yugoslavia were handling tissues from green monkeys. There were two large epidemics in DRC and Angola in 1999 and 2005 respectively. 5. Ebola was first identified in 1976 with two outbreaks in DRC and South Sudan. Mortality was 90% in DRC and 50% in South Sudan. 6. Since 1976, Ebolavirus have appeared sporadically in Africa, with small to midsize outbreaks confirmed between 1976 and 1979. Large epidemics of Ebola HF occurred in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995, in Gulu, Uganda in 2000, in Bundibugyo, Uganda in 2008, and in Issiro, DRC in 2012. Smaller outbreaks were identified in Gabon, DRC, and Uganda. 7. Both Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus have only very recently been identified in fruit bats. These bats might be the primary host, but monkeys are strongly suspected to be secondary hosts. No wild primate has been discovered infected in Africa to date, but this is likely because primates, like humans, suffer high mortality rates. 8. Epidemics are started because of high contact between infected Ebola patients, their families, health workers. Contact with body fluids is implicated, although aerosol transmission cannot be completely ruled out. 9. With good health care and isolation of infected individuals, most Ebolavirus epidemics disappear. 10. Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus have likely been around for many millennia. It is likely that people have been dying of hemorrhagic fever for a very long time. The recent large outbreaks are facilitated by means of travel previously not available. 11. In addition, the increased transport of bushmeat from source to a diversity of destinations can also spread the viruses to multiple consumers. 12. There needs to be a complete cessation of the bushmeat trade, especially that involving primates. The susceptibility of pigs to the virus is also very worrying. 13. HIV also spread to humans via Simian Immunodeficiency Virus. 14. There is a very long list of animal diseases that can be spread to humans from eating wildlife.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 15:27:41 +0000
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