There is a new virus that the world is being to being exposed to. According to the World Health Organization, “Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans” (World Health Organization, 2014). The virus is found in wild animals, such as fruit bats. The fruit bats then transfer the virus to other wild animals such as, chimpanzees, monkeys, gorillas, and forest antelope. It’s then introduced to humans through close contact with the blood, and organs of these infected animals.
According to CNN. com, The first human outbreaks occurred in 1976, one in northern Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Central Africa: and the other, in southern Sudan (now South Sudan). The virus is named after the Ebola River, where the virus was first recognized in 1976, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CNN, 2014) The Ebola virus usually take between 8-10 days after being exposed to the virus, to experience symptoms. “Symptoms of Ebola typically include: weakness, fever, aches, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.
Additional experiences include rash, red eyes, chest pain, throat soreness,difficu lty breathing or swallowing and bleeding (including internal)” (CNN, 2014). A lot of these symptoms seem like just a normal cold one would receive. The average fatality rate for this disease is around 50% with is really high. Since September 24, 2014, there have been 6,574 cases of the Ebola virus in West Africa. Over 3,091 of those people have died from the virus.
The first diagnosis of Ebola in the United States has been found. A man in Dallas, Texas, that was traveling from Liberia to the States to visit friends and family. When after a couple days of being in States, he noticed that he was feeling ill so he went to the hospital.
They released him, giving him some antibiotics, and three days later he came back and that’s when they found out he Next 3 has Ebola virus. They the isolated him. As of today there isn’t an antidote for Ebola virus but according to the World Health Organization Supportive care-rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids- and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. There is as yet no proven treatment available for EVD. However, a range of potential treatments including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies are currently being evaluated.
No licensed vaccines are available yet, but 2 potential vaccines are undergoing human safety testing. (World Health Organization, 2014) I don’t think we as Americans should be worried about the virus because, for starters, we have a lot better health care facilities than West Africa and we have already cured two people that have had the virus. Next 4.
References CNN. (2014, September). Ebola Fast Facts. Retrieved from CNN Health Web Site: http://www. cnn. com/2014/04/11/health/ebola-fast-facts/ World Health Organization. (2014, September). Facts Sheet: World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/.