EBOLA VIRUS...PLEASE SHARE IT. Here’s what you should know about Ebola, one of several viruses responsible for hemorrhagic fever. 1. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it “one of the most virulent diseases known to humankind”. 2. It can kill up to 90 per cent of the people who are infected. Five “species” of Ebola have been identified so far, and have been named Bundibugyo, Sudan, Zaire, Tai Forest and Reston. The first three are particularly dangerous, with fatality rates of up to 90 per cent. The Zaire is the one at the heart of the current epidemic. The Reston species has also been identified in China and the Philippines, but no associated deaths have been reported in those countries to date. 3. The virus first appeared in 1976 in Nzara, Sudan and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It took its name from the Ebola River, which was near the village in Yambuku where the outbreak occurred. 4. Ebola can be caught from both humans and animals. It is transmitted through close contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids. Fruit bats are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. 5. It spreads quickly through human-to-human transmission, as family and friends care for infected people. Healthcare workers have frequently been infected while treating Ebola patients. The virus has also been known to spread at burials where mourners touch the body. 6. Symptoms can appear from two to 21 days after exposure. Early symptoms such as rashes and red eyes are common, making it hard to diagnose in the early stages. 7. The virus spreads in the blood and paralyses the immune system. Ebola is often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding such as from the nose or via a person’s urine. 8. There are some experimental Ebola therapies Three treatments have shown especially promising results in monkeys.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 06:20:09 +0000
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