As years go on and time passes it is a wonder how with all this technology we have in the world there is still no cure for Cancer, AIDS, and the popular epidemic happening in West Africa Ebola. Some people may ask what is this pandemic outbreak happening in West Africa. Ebola is a member of the filoviridae family. This virus has such a high fatality rate and a lack of treatment or very slim amount of research information; makes Africa have high health issues with this new virus popping up all over West Africa. It is sad how one disease called Ebola can spread so fast, destroying a countries population, with no proof of a cure yet to help the people of West Africa. Ebola also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 1). The virus got its name from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was the first initial outbreak caused by the Zaire strain, occurred in 1976, involving more than 300 people. Ebola is an infectious viral disease. The symptoms for this disease are fever, flu-like symptoms, followed by rash, diarrhea, vomiting, and heavy bleeding through the mouth and rectum.
(Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 1). The virus is transmitted from one person to another through direct contact with infected blood, secretions, or contaminated needles. At least four types of the Ebola virus are know there are the Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, and Reston strains. Rangel 1 (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 1). The Reston strain is the only strain, which doesn’t affect humans. The only differences between these four strains are the difference in the gene sequences.
The genes sequences change so often that it is literally impossible for researchers to come up with a common treatment or any type of antibiotics. Several Ebola outbreaks seemed to appear whenever humans would handle infected carcasses of chimpanzees, duiker and gorillas. Several outbreaks were suspected to be associated with fruit bats. Who are natural hosts for filoviruses. (Dixon, Schafer 1) With the lack of resources that West Africa offers, the hospitals are force to reuse needles. To prevent the virus from spreading, infected patients should be isolated from uninfected patience. (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia 1).
With the virus spreading, the hospitals need to have clean water for doctors and nurses to wash their hands, non used needles that are sterilized; to keep the contaminated virus away form healthy people. This link provides how people where not worried about Ebola coming to their country, unfortunately things changed this video provides the example how monkey meat is a prime source of the deadly disease. http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=XasTcDsDfMg With the large amount of infected people from this horrible disease, it may startle some of us that there isn’t any cure for this.
With the death toll rising and more and more people getting infected each and every day something has to be done. But with a breakthrough experiment researchers have came across a new experimental treatment call ZMapp. ZMapp, being developed by ZMapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. This new treatment has not yet to be tested in humans for safety reasons. This product is a combination of three different monoclonal antibodies that bind to the protein of the Ebola virus, (Centers Rangel 2 for Disease Control and Prevention 1).
There were multiple studies that have been successful in the race to find a cure for the Ebola outbreak. One experiment that has had some success, was 18 monkeys who were exposed to a lethal dose of Ebola virus survived when given the drug, known as ZMapp, even when the treatment was started five days after infection. Also a new study provides strong evidence that the experimental drug given to two American aid workers stricken with Ebola in Africa really works and could make a difference in the current epidemic crisis that we are in today. (Pollack 1) ZMapp is the closest drug we have right now to find a cure for this fatal disease.
Researchers are on the right road to ending this horrible virus we call Ebola. Unfortunately, this drug Zmapp is too new and too early to detect in any future use that this drug will be the virus killing antibiotic to this horrible disease that is spreading faster than we know. Quote said by David Evans professor at England’s University of Warwick, “The success suggests that ZMapp “offers the best option” for treating Ebola, Kobinger’s team wrote, and should be tested for safety in people to enable its compassionate use “as soon as possible. “” (Begley1).
With all the experimental process that is occurring right now, we are getting one step closer into reveling hopefully a cure to this illogical outbreak of Ebola. In conclusion, Ebola has taken many lives for several years. But unfortunately this virus tends to affect the many poor countries, which have little to none of options for them to overcome and survive. However, On August 21, 2014 two Americans have been released from Emory University Hospital who overcame the infection of the Ebola virus on their visit in Liberia. “Today is a miraculous day, I am thrilled to be alive, to be well and to be reunited with my family. ”
Said Brantly, one of the Ebola survivors. Nancy, the Rangel 3 other Ebola survivors only comment was, “To God be the Glory. ” (Sutton, Yan 1) ZMapp may not be the full cure for Ebola but it’s definitely the beginning to a step closer for finding a cure and saving many lives all over the world. Rangel 4 Work Cited Begley, Sharon. “Experimental Ebola Drug ZMapp Cures 100 Percent of Lab Monkeys. ” CNBC. N. p. , 19 July 2014. Web. 01 Sept. 2014. Dixon, Meredith G. , and Llana J. Schafer. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. USA: Public Health, 2014.
Print. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2014, 1p. Chicago: World Book, n. d. Print. Pollack, Andrew. “Experimental Drug Would Help Fight Ebola If Supply Increases, Study Finds. ” The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 29 Aug. 2014. Sutton, Joe, and Holly Yan. “Second American Infected with Ebola. ” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. “Questions and Answers on Experimental Treatments and Vaccines for Ebola. ” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.