Describe The Agent: The Ebola Virus

In 2014, Ebola hemorrhagic fever caused an outbreak in West Africa that officially ended in 2016. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Ebola is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus species” (“Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)”). Ebola is caused when a person is in contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids. Prevention of contracting the disease include, not touching the dead body of an infected person, not touching body fluids of an infected person, avoiding places infected people are being treated, not touching bats or nonhuman primates

The control monkeys were never injected with the Ebola virus; they were placed across the room from the sick monkeys. After the control monkeys were found to be infected with Ebola it was proposed that “Ebola drifted across a room. Most likely the control monkeys inhaled it into their lungs” (Preston 93-94). Finding out that Ebola was possibly spread through the air posed as a large problem as Karl Johnson explained to Preston in an interview, “If Ebola had spread through the air, the world would be a very different place today… It would have been exceedingly difficult to contain that virus if it had had any major respiratory component” (Preston 121). The Ebola strain that Johnson encountered appeared to not be spread through the air, however there is substantial evidence that other strains are. “In 2012 Canadian researchers found that Ebola Zaire, which is involved in the current outbreak, was passed from pigs to monkeys in the air” (Cohen 1). Ebola is aggressive enough that some researchers believe it is able to enter a person’s bloodstream through a small scrape (Preston 142-143). Ebola was actually spread by medical staff in some areas such as the Yambuku Hospital where nuns used five needles a day for hundreds of their patients. This mixed blood and gave Ebola the opportunity to spread (Preston 102). It

Ebola is described by the author in deep detail telling the progression of which it goes through. It starts with a headache and backache and ends with all of your internal organs failing “bleeding out” like Charles Monet. There are four filoviruses: Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Marburg virus (MARV), and Ravn virus (RAVV). They are all Level 4 biohazard, which means they are extremely dangerous to humans especially because they are so infectious, have a high death rate, and there are no medicines, treatments, or cures.

Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids. This includes items that have had contact with infected fluids, such as needles or syringes. The bodily fluid must enter the body through the bloodstream, including open wounds or the membrane in the eyes nose or mouth. The spread can be prevented through heavy precautions including staying in a hospital and using disposable equipment. West Nile Virus is common in birds, but humans become infected through mosquitoes that bite the infected birds. This means that West Nile does not spread as easily, however it may spread a farther distance due to being carried by birds and mosquitoes. Ebola is transmitted easier (person to person) but does not have a way to travel a far

While Ebola is not an airborne virus, it can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person’s fluids, such as blood, urine, vomit, sweat, semen and sexual contact (Nevins, 2014). With these deadly symptoms and ease of transmission, the Ebola virus can quickly wipe out an entire community. Yet, scientists have found that the severity of the disease in humans varies widely, from rapid fatality to mild illness or even asymptomatic response, further complicating the ability to quickly identify infected patients and reduce the possibility of transmission (Kolata, 2014). Moreover, the virus has different strains and mutates according to the specific environmental conditions in which it exists (Peters et al., 1991).

The filovirus family encompasses two genera: Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus; note that filoviruses are zoonotic, and have recently been traced to some species of African bats (CDC 2014). Currently, there are four species of ebolavirus that cause disease in humans: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Tai Forest virus, and Bundibugyo virus (CDC 2015 B, 1). For the purposes of this scenario, Ebola virus will be the agent of focus and use. Symptoms of Ebola virus infection range from common illness characteristics, such as fever and fatigue, to the more detrimental characteristics of unexplained bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea, and body pains; symptoms can appear anywhere from two days to three weeks after exposure (CDC 2015 B, 1). Transmission of infection occurs through direct contact between an individual’s mucous membranes or broken skin and body fluids of an infected person (CDC 2015 A). Body fluids can include sweat, saliva, blood, semen, and urine, amongst several others. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that “Although … the viruses display some capability of infection through small-particle aerosols, airborne spread among humans has not been clearly demonstrated”

In 2005, it was reported that fruit bats may serve as the natural reservoir of Ebola. Fruit bats live in regions of Africa that include areas where Ebola outbreaks have occurred and

Ebola virus originated in wild animals; it is spread by animal-to-human and human-to-human contact with infected bodily fluids, internal organs and contaminated objects

It enters the body thru mucus membranes. Ebola lives in an animal host such as fruit bat or smaller mammals. Transmission for Ebola varies from contact with blood contaminated needles, or bodily fluids. Profuse bleeding is the number one indicator of the infection. Arenavirus can be detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Currently, there are no treatments available for Ebola. Prevention chances of getting Ebola include washing hands frequently. Avoid any known Ebola outbreak areas. Nursing interventions check for occult blood in the stool, urine, and

Humans are the ones that carry the disease. The disease can kill the host/human. Ebola is extremely rare. There has been zero cases in the U.S. Ebola affects all ages and even animals. If you have it you can not be near anyone until you do not have it anymore. If you have it and you go out you can infect others. Some people die from the disease so sometimes that can leave until they die.

Ebola is a deadly disease that caused by infection with a strain of ebola virus. Ebola spread through contact with blood and body fluids. Ebola can not be spread through water and air. That means it spread by physical contact. It’s believed that the first human was infected animal such as a fruit but or primate (apes and Monkeys). The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest Ebola outbreak in history and the first Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids of a person already showing symptoms of Ebola. Ebola is not spread through the air, water, food, or mosquitoes.

detect the virus are very slow, compared to how rapid Ebola can kill its victims.

Ebola virus disease (EBV), or just Ebola, is an acute, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of a number of haemorrhagic fever diseases. Ebola is a single-stranded RNA virus with an unusual, variable-length, branched morphology. The helical capsid is enclosed inside a membrane.. It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases. The Ebola virus is a member of the Filoviridae family. There are 5 known subtypes of Ebola. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. The current hypothesis is that fruit bats are the original host of the virus. Ebola was introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions,

feeding, holding, or otherwise caring for them, family members and friends would come into close contact with such secretions. People can also be exposed to Ebola virus through contact with objects, such as needles, that have been contaminated with