The Deadly Danger of the Ebola Virus

Ebola is defined as a rare disease in the United States, it has only occurred because cases were obtained in other countries that eventually led it to spread by human transmission (CDC, 2019). There are fewer than 1000 US cases per year, but in West Africa Ebola is considered a zoonotic disease because it originated from animals to humans (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). It’s a catastrophic disease that is infectious and frequently fatal.

Ebola marked by a fever and critical internal bleeding. It also contagious if contact with infected bodily fluids by a filovirus or broken skin even if the individual isn’t alive (CDC, 2019). In 1976, the Ebola virus was first discovered near the Ebola river or now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, from which this disease takes its name today (CDC, 2019). The virus lead to outbreaks in several African countries but it began in Guinea and moved along with the land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia (CDC, 2019). Ebola is known to affect all races, all ages and animals but it mostly affects the people who lived in West Africa and Southeastern. But it’s told that In 2015, young children who are infected with the virus are at a high risk of dying than adults and older children (Blaszczak, 2015). In the new case researchers have examined Ebola case in younger adults under the age of 16 during the outbreak in Guinea where it’s all began from including the two other countries in Sierra Leone and Liberia (Blaszczak, 2019). It’s discovered that the outbreaks death rates are higher in younger children than older adults and older children (Blaszczak, 2015). “The disease has killed about 90 percent of infected children under-age 1, and about 80 percent of kids ages One to Four who have been infected. Older children who have been infected with Ebola may have a much better chance of surviving' (By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe March 25, 2015).

Scientists compared nature virus to the Ebola virus because they were unsure where the disease came from, but with testing scientists believed that the virus may originally come from fruit bats which then evolved to other animals as pigs, gorillas, monkeys and many more (CDC, 2019).

When the disease is transmitted by body fluids, blood or tissue of the infected person or animal, the virus causes onsets of fever, muscle pain, intense weakness, sore throat and headaches which is dangerous because it's very hard to control (CDC, 2019). When an individual dies of the Ebola virus, the virus survives in the body within Seven days making it more dangerous because there are no current vaccines available for Ebola (NBC Staff, 2015). There is a team who is trained to deal with bodies to properly bury them (CDC, 2019). They created a way so that families aren’t exposed to the disease while saying goodbye to their loved ones. They must first find the people who have Ebola, find the people have been in contact with them, let the workers do their jobs, isolate the patients, so that they aren't infectious, prevent transmission from the disease in the healthcare setting, stop the transmission disease of the dead body by wrapping them into a plastic bag, then they’ll finally transport the coffin to a Gravesite, so that the family may say their last words, and goodbyes (VDX,2019).

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Scientists are trying to develop vaccines that might help the other generation but at this time none are available for clinic use (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017).

Ebola tends to spread quickly among friends and families as they are exposed to the infectious secretions by taking care of an ill individual. The onset of the symptoms ranges from two to twenty-one days to start appearing, but during day eight to day ten patients may experience rashes, coughs, red eyes, vomiting, loss of appetite and bleeding outside and inside the body which makes diagnostic extremely difficult (CDC,2019). If a patient shows signs of Ebola virus disease the person must be isolated immediately so that it does not cause a big outbreak within other patients.

There are two blood tests that a doctor will perform to confirm the virus which would be a polymerase chain reaction and an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). A polymerase chain reaction is a technique to diagnose Ebola. A polymerase chain reaction makes multiple copies of a specific DNA. In this case it's used to detect low levels of Ebola virus but if the virus is no longer present in great numbers in the blood the polymerase chain reaction test will no longer be effective (CDC,2019). Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay is a technique to detect quantifying substances such as antibodies, proteins, hormones, and peptides (Timothy J. Leg, 2017). When sending these blood test to the laboratory and the test comes back confirmed it’s noted that the public health authorities will be involved and then conduct a public health investigation.

The symptoms of Ebola virus are treated as soon as they appear. The basic interventions can significantly improve the changes in survival if they maintain oxygen status, provide fluids and electrolytes through infusion of the vein, using medications to support blood pressure while they maintain the fever and reduce vomiting including diarrhea (CDC, 2019). Four Investigational treatments were available to treat patients during 2018 in Democratic Republics of the Congo. Two treatments called mAb114 and Regeneron made survival changes much higher than before. MAb114 is a Monoclonal antibody that binds the core receptor binding the Zaire Ebola virus surface of the proteins, so that, it stops infecting the human cell (NIH, 2019). These two antiviral drugs are used to this day for patients confirmed with Ebola.

To prevent from getting Ebola transmitted you must do the following to avoid contacts with fruit bats and non-human primates or blood, contact with semen from a man who previously had the Ebola virus and any items that have been in contact with an infected person's body fluids or blood (CDC, 2019). That included fesses, urine, sweat, saliva, vomit or breast milk even if they touched anything they have used to have contact with its bodily fluid like clothing, bedding, medical equipment. Ebola is a new imported disease that has not spread fully around the world, especially in the United States because of CDC support. They were deployed to west Africa to assist with labatory testing, contact tracing, response efforts including surveillance and more (CDC). CDC were the ones who handle Ebola from spreading all over the world (CDC). To prevent cross border transmission CDC screened west African travelers at the airports and the United States also enhanced entry screen for those who were coming from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia (CDC). Scientists are now trying to find ways to come up with vaccines that will help to prevent it from coming back Ebola was one of the top spreading diseases in African countries.