Since the Ebola virus struck, theres been a lot of justifiable fear as well as chatter about the disease and how it gets around. Heres all you need to know so far... How is Ebola spread from person to person? The good news is that Ebola isnt transmitted through the air. You arent going to get Ebola if an infected person sits next to you or sneezes in the same room. The disease is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as blood from an infected person. The disease is only contagious when an infected person is showing symptoms. Health care workers are particularly at risk if they are not wearing appropriate protective equipment, such as masks, gowns and gloves. What are the symptoms of Ebola? Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus characterized by the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms including fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding. Just how deadly is Ebola? Somewhere between 50 percent and 90 percent of the people who develop Ebola will die. Whats the incubation period for Ebola? The time from infection with the virus to the onset of symptoms ranges from two to 21 days. Is there a cure for Ebola? Right now, there is no cure or vaccine. Doctors typically provide supportive care to patients, which may include oxygen, fluids, blood transfusions and treating subsequent infections. A few patients infected with the virus have been given experimental treatments, including doses of a promising drug called ZMapp. But supplies of ZMapp were limited and have since run out. Several patients also appear to have been helped by blood transfusions from a person who survived Ebola and developed antibodies to the virus. At the beginning of September, the National Institutes of Health began a clinical trial on a potential vaccine for the virus, but it is not being used on patients. How bad is the outbreak in West Africa? As of Sept. 28, 2014, there have been 7,178 cases and 3,338 deaths from the virus during the current outbreak in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Almost all of the cases have occurred in the nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. This is by far the largest and deadliest outbreak of Ebola since the disease was first identified in 1976. More people have died in the last six months than in all other Ebola outbreaks combined. The CDC says as many as 1.4 million people could be infected by January unless more is done to stop it. Why has it been so hard to contain the outbreak in West Africa? A big part of the problem in West Africa is that the health care infrastructure is poor, understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with a major public health crisis. Theres also widespread mistrust of hospitals and doctors that keeps many people from seeking treatment. The high death rates at hospitals have many people so scared that they keep ailing loved ones at home, where they continue to spread the disease to others. Theres all the difference in the world between the U.S. and parts of Africa where Ebola is spreading, Frieden said. The United States has a strong health care system and public health professionals who will make sure this case does not threaten our communities. Whats the history of Ebola? Ebola first appeared in 1976. There were two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). The Congolese outbreak occurred in a village near the Ebola River, which is how the disease gets its name. Fruit bats in the African forest are thought to be the natural host of the virus. In Africa, people have become infected through the handling of infected fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the wild.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 15:11:36 +0000
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