Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease known as Ebola, was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River (what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Although Ebola mainly affects West Africa, there has been 8,752 total deaths recorded around the world. Even though this may not seem like much compared to other disease outbreaks, like the Plague, it’s had a major impact on the world we live in.
Ebola is a very fatal disease, its transmitted by blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus, and infected fruit bats or primates (apes and monkeys). Even though it is a very easy disease to get, once you have recovered from it you can no longer pass it on to the others in the community.
Because of the recent and historical out breaks and impact Ebola has had on our nation, it makes an interesting and important subject to research. Ebola is caused by infection with a virus of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. There are five identified Ebola virus species, four of them are known to cause disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Tai Forest virus (Tai Forest ebolavirus, formerly Cote d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus).
The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in animals or non human primates, but not in humans. The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. The symptoms for Ebola include severe headache, fever, weakness, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, abdominal (stomach) pain, vomiting, and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising).
Humans can get this disease from wild animals through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs an or other bodily fluids of the infected animals like chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, forest antelope, monkeys and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest, it then spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs an or other bodily fluids of the infected people, also with surfaces and materials (e. g. bedding, clothing)contaminated with these fluids.
Another way to catch this disease is burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person. This can play a huge role in the spread of Ebola. People remain infected as long as their blood and body fluids, like semen and breast milk, contain the virus. Although it is said that once you recover from the disease you can no longer pass it on, men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.
Once a person has been contaminated with this disease, it may take two to twenty- one days for symptoms to occur. Death is very likely for 70 percent of those infected, and those who are untreated. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are still being developed, these possible treatments have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness. With that being said, once somebody has been diagnosed with Ebola, the only thing that can be done is first, treat any other infections they may have, keep the person hydrated with fluids through an IV, give them lots of oxygen, and maintain their blood pressure.
The life expectancy for those infected really depends on how strong the person’s immune system is. Prevention of Ebola includes avoiding areas with known outbreaks, wash your hands frequently, avoid eating wild meat, avoid contact with anyone that’s infected, follow all infection control procedures, don’t handle remains from the previously infected, and always wear appropriate personal protective equipment. During 1976-2000 there was an outbreak that affected Zaire, Sudan, England, USA, Philippines, Italy, Gabon, Cote d’lvoire, Russian, and Uganda.
In 2014 there was also a major outbreak that affected, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Russia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and the Philippines. These outbreaks combined killed about 8,752 people with 22,334 total cases recorded. In the modern world very few cases of Ebola are recorded. Although there aren’t many, if any at all, that are recorded in today’s age there is most likely several cases of Ebola still in West Africa. Ebola may never completely go away but it is most definitely controlled and not as serious as it once was.
Ebola has had a major historical and modern impact on the developing society. Because of this major impact it has had made people more aware of the things they are touching and eating. Society has learned the proper ways to prevent passing the Ebola virus to those in the community. Although the Ebola virus is extremely rare in today’s society it still exists. If society is educated on the Infectious agent, symptoms, route of infection, incubation time, and treatment and prevention we can prevent any further out breaks.
In conclusion Ebola is a very deadly, fatal, disgusting disease. Although this disease may seem like a huge deal there is precautions that can be taken. There is also ways of curing this disease. In my opinion this disease could be preventable if people followed the right precaution methods.
SOURCES http://www. cdc. gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms/index. html http://www. cdc. gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index. html http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ http://www. cdc. gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index. html.