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Ebola Virus Disease

The Ebola virus disease (EVD), is a severe sickness found within humans. The virus itself is transmitted to humans from wild animals, and is spread within the human population through human-to-human contact. Although case fatality has varied from 25% to 90%,the average case fatality rate for EVD is 50%, which is still a large amount. The first EVD outbreak occurred in remote villages in central Africa near tropical rain forest. But recently, there has been a serious outbreak within west Africa which includes major suburban as well as rural areas. If not treated, EVD causes a serious illness which can in most cases are fatal.

Background

Ebola virus disease first appeared in 1976 in 2 outbreaks, the first was in Sudan and the other in Congo. The latter took place in a village near the Ebola river, from which the disease takes it's name. Several other outbreaks came about in separate areas within West Africa, but the problem here was the fact that these countries had weak health systems which lacked human as well as infrastructural resources. Upon finding out about this, on August 8th, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency and announced the virus an International Concern.

Transmission

Fruit bats are natural Ebola virus hosts. The disease is introduced to the human race through close and direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines that are found ill or even dead within the rainforest. Ebola then transmits through human-to-human direct contact (either through broken-skin or mucous membranes) with the same ways Ebola is transmitted from the wild animals. Many health care workers have become infected by the virus simply by trying to treat suspected or confirmed patients. Even during burial ceremonies, when mourners have any type of direct contact with the infected, even though the body is deceased, it can still play a role in the transmission of the virus. People remain infectious as long as their blood and body fluids (including semen and breast milk) contain the virus. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus for up to 7 weeks from the recovery of the illness itself.

Symptoms

The incubation period, which is the time from when the infection is transmitted until the symptoms kick in can range anywhere from 2-21 days. Humans are not considered infectious until symptoms are shown. The first symptoms are quite sudden and clear, these can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle pain, headache and even a sore throat. Usually followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash symptoms of impaired liver and/or kidney function. In some cases internal and external bleeding may occur.

Treatment and vaccines

As of the year 2014, there is still no proven treatment available for EVD. However, a range of several different treatments that are undergoing studying which the medical field is embarking upon. Although there is no licensed vaccine out there to be given to the public, 2 potential vaccines are also undergoing human safety testing.