Fighting ebola

Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains. Ebola can cause disease in humans and primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).

There are five identified Ebola virus categories, four of which are known to cause disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in primates, but not in humans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

There were a small number of cases reported in Nigeria and a single case reported in Senegal; however, these cases are considered to be contained, with no further spread in these countries.

Several imported cases from Liberia and associated locally acquired cases in healthcare workers have been reported in the United States.

Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa.

The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. However, on the basis of evidence and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the virus is animal-borne and that bats are the most likely reservoir. Four of the five virus strains occur in an animal host native to Africa.

Nigeria (Port Harcourt and Lagos); Spain (Madrid); and the United States (Dallas, TX) have documented locallly transmitted cases while Senegal (Dakar) is among the nations with travel-associated case(s).

Practicing careful hygiene is one of the key ways to avoid contracting the disease. For example, wash your hands with soap, water and bleach, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids of an infected person. Also do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).

Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola. Avoid contact with bats and primates, or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals.

Symptoms of Ebola include: fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F), severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain, and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising).

Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is eight to 10 days. Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.