Ebola has Started Claiming Lives in Sierra Leone Please Learn More About It All About Ebola Definition and symptoms Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is the human disease caused by ebola viruses. Symptoms start 2 days to 3 weeks after contracting the virus with a fever, throat and muscle pains, and headaches. There is then nausea, vomiting and diarrhea along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. At this point some people begin to have problems with bleeding.[1] Origins. In 1976, Ebola (named after the Ebola River in then Zaire, now Democratic Republic of the Congo) first emerged in Sudan and Congo. The first outbreak of Ebola (Ebola-Sudan) infected over 284 people, with a mortality rate of 53%. A few months later, the second Ebola virus emerged from Yambuku, DRC, Ebola-Zaire (EBOZ). EBOZ, with the highest mortality rate of any of the Ebola viruses (88%), infected 318 people. Despite the tremendous efforts of experienced and dedicated researchers, Ebolas natural reservoir was never identified. The third strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston (EBOR), was first identified in 1989 when infected monkeys were imported into Reston, Virginia, from Mindanao in the Philippines. Fortunately, the few people who were infected with EBOR (sero-converted) never developed Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF). Another known strain of Ebola, Ebola Cote dIvoire (EBO-CI) was discovered in 1994 when a female ethologist performing a necropsy on a dead chimpanzee from the Tai Forest, Cote dIvoire, accidentally infected herself during the necropsy. Prevention Prevention involves decreasing the spread of the disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking these animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may be helpful, as may wearing protective clothing and washing hands when around someone sick with the disease. Samples from people with the disease should be handled with an extra degree of caution.[1] Burial procedures have to be conducted by trained specialists. No washing of corpses! Modes of Transmission Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that affects and kills up to 90 percent of humans infected with the virus. All together, there are five different types of the Ebola virus, with four of them reported to have the capability of causing disease in humans. The Ebola virus is passed to humans through close contact with animals that are carrying the virus such as fruit bats, monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Once humans are infected with Ebola, they become highly contagious and pass the virus on to others who come in close contact with them either by exposure to objects that have been contaminated with the infected persons blood or bodily fluids or direct contact with the infected person’s blood or bodily fluids. Incubation period and signs and symptoms. The incubation period for Ebola viral hemorrhagic fever is typically one week, during which time, the infected person will suffer from an array of symptoms such as fever, chills, back pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. As the virus progresses, those infected will experience a rash over their entire body, swelling of the eyes and genital area, bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and rectum, followed by shock, coma, and death in many cases. Treatement There is no specific treatment for the virus with efforts to help people including giving the person either oral rehydration therapy orintravenous fluids. The disease has a high rate of death possibly up to 90%. It typically occurs in outbreaks and occurs in tropical regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Between when it was first identified in 1976 and 2012 fewer than 1000 people a year have been infected. The disease was first identified in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Efforts are ongoing to develop vaccine; however, none exists as of 2014.[1]
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 07:28:07 +0000
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