Ebola Epidemic : Interactions Throughout Culture, Biology And Ecology

The mystery of the Ebola virus inspired this article that depicts the search for the virus’s source. Ebola is known as a zoonotic virus meaning it can affect many species of animals. This also means that its source comes from one or more species of animals that carry and transmit the disease without dying. This animal that holds the disease is known as a reservoir host. The article focusses on research on finding the reservoir host. Many cases of Ebola have been reported and studied. All reports have a common source of the initial sick individual having some connection with a cave or forest. This like another similar virus, Marburg, have its beginnings of its outbreaks with hunters or explorers. Marburg’s reservoir host has been determined to be a species of fruit bat. Many researchers agree that some form of bat is the host of Ebola, but with little research and not enough funding to conduct a viable research, this cannot be proven. Signs of bats include the viruses first know victim, Emile Ouamouno. A young boy, Emile was known to have played in and by a tree that later was discovered to be home to Angolan free-tailed bats. Later, research by Leendertz on different species of bats showed that RNA fragments of the Ebola virus were found in several species of fruit bats. While it can be concluded that bats serve as some chain in the Ebola infection,

First discovered in the 1970’s, the ebola virus was contained to West Africa (“About Ebola Virus Disease”). Villagers’ diets consisted primarily of the resources readily available. Among these resources were fruit, vegetables, and animals, namely monkeys. Monkeys carried the ebola virus, and when people ate them, without proper cleaning and cooking techniques, they became infected. Ebola, formally known as Zaire Ebola Virus, is transmitted through bodily fluids like saliva, blood, semen, breast milk, mucus, sweat, tears, feces and urine. ("Ebola in West Africa."). Since it was introduced to a third world country, where hygiene is not regarded as important as survival. Without education, protection and segregated sewage, the virus began to spread. In days people were dying after spreading the virus to those closest to them (Waterman). The bodies, though dead, were still harboring the virus and

It showed up in Marburg, Germany in 1967; Preston acknowledges that, “The virus erupted in a factory called The Behring Works, which produced vaccines using kidney cells from African green monkeys” (Preston 35). This was perhaps one of the many opportunities that Marburg received to change species and infect humans; before then Ebola had only been present in Monkeys. Another opportunity arose in Africa inside Kitum Cave, where Ebola seemed to have infected multiple people (Preston 140). It is not known exactly what infected the people who visited Kitum Cave, however, there is strong evidence the disease is harbored inside the

Although Ebola caught the world’s attention during the 1995 outbreak in Zaire, the first outbreak occurred in 1976. As the chart below displays, 71% of the people infected died as a result of Ebola during this first outbreak (Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 56 (2): 247-270, 1978). With the current outbreak, this ratio has dramatically decreased as a result of scientific research leading to early detection, but the current infected population is more than 20 times the amount of any previous outbreak and this number continues to grow as no vaccine exists to prevent the disease.

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

It is one of three members of the ‘Filoviridae’ family and comprises of 5 distinct species, three of which are fatal to humans. These fatal species are the ‘Zaire Ebolavirus (EBOV)’, the Reston Ebolavirus (RESTV), and the Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV). Due to the difficulty in obtaining samples and studying the disease because of the remote areas in which it outbreaks, the cause of Ebola is not yet defined. However, it is greatly suspected that fruit bats carry and spread the virus (through their droppings) without being affected. As mentioned above, the virus is then transmitted to humans through contact with the infected bodily fluids of an infected organism or

As with any infectious disease, whether it originates from a virus, bacterium, or fungi, there is the possibility that it will become an epidemic. For centuries, deadly diseases have threatened to infect and possibly eradicate mankind. The Ebola virus, which causes an extremely fatal hemorrhagic fever, is considered to be one of the most aggressive contagions in the world. The Ebola virus is a member of a family of RNA viruses known as, “Filoviridae” and is composed of multiple distinct subspecies (Bausch et al. 2007). It causes Ebola Virus Disease, a fairly new disease that plagues multiple poor countries within Africa. The virus mainly attacks the lymphatic system, but also severely damages the reproductive and reticuloendothelial systems. The Ebola virus disease causes muscle pain, weakness, limited kidney and liver function and extreme blood loss due to failure of blood clotting.

This Ebola outbreak taught us many factors of public health that we simply ignore daily, like washing hands. These viruses are easily transmitted from person to person, through their blood or body-fluids. Therefore it is very important to research about our public health around us, for everyone’s health and future. The Ebola outbreak showed how the world is very ignorant of their public health. It is better for them to know all of these tragedies and educate themselve to prevent from any other outbreaks that will take place in the future. The plan to release more information and persuade to adjust West African culture will definitely make public healthier, view the world differently, and our future generations will learn the importance of learning

Ebola Virus is a serious transmitted disease by both humans and animals. The disease first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in Nzara, Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the virus received its name. Ebola Virus is a member of the negative stranded RNA viruses known as filoviruses. There are currently, five different strains of the Ebola Virus including, Zaire (EBOV), Sudan (SUDV), Bundibuguyo (BDBV), Taï Forest (TAFV) and Reston (RESTV). Each of the strains of the virus are very closely related including Reston which only effects animals. Yet, Ebola Zaire is the most highly virulent subtype, often leading to death. All of the different types of the virus are extremely dangerous and often cause death if untreated.

The Ebola virus was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However many doctors believe they outbreak may have started from the eating of bats and apes or other primates. The bat naturally holds the virus and primates catch it by eating the infected bush meat or eating anything the bat may have defecated on.

The source of the Ebola virus is not completely known. Research has pointed to several possible carriers of the virus. "Among the suspected reservoirs for Ebola are bats, primates, rodents, and insects that inhabit tropical forests in Africa"(1). It is initially spread to people by coming into contact with body fluids or waste of one of the carriers and then it is transferred from person to person very easily and very quickly through similar avenues(2).

Ebola is the better-known member of a small family of viruses known as Filoviridae. The other lesser-known member is Marburg. The Ebola virus has five known subtypes, four of which are highly pathogenic to humans. The fifth, Ebola Reston Virus was first isolated in a group of primates that had been imported from the Philippines to a research laboratory in Reston, Virginia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, within weeks, the same virus was isolated during similar outbreaks in labs in Pennsylvania, Texas and Siena, Italy. In each case, the affected animals had been imported from a facility in the Philippines. (CDC, 2008) The four species that are pathogenic to humans are Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest and Bundibugyo.

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body. In 1976, Ebola was first spotted in Sudan and Zaire. The first outbreak of Ebola infected over 284 people. A few months later, the second Ebola virus was found in patients from Yambuku, Zaire, Ebola-Zaire (EBOZ), which infected 318 people. Despite the tremendous effort of experienced and dedicated researchers, Ebola's natural reservoir was never identified. The third strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston (EBOR), was first identified in 1989 when infected monkeys were imported into Reston, Virginia, from Mindanao in the Philippines. Fortunately, the few people who were infected with EBOR (seroconverted) never developed Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF). The last known strain

The Ebola Haemorrahagic Fever, or Ebola for short, was first recognized as a virus in 1967. The first breakout that caused the Ebola virus to be recognized was in Zaire with 318 people infected and 280 killed. There are five subtypes of the Ebola virus, but only four of them affect humans. There are the Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast and the Ebola-Bundibugyo. The fifth one, the Ebola-Reston, only affects nonhuman primates. The Ebola-Zaire was recognized on August 26, 1976 with a 44 year old schoolteacher as the first reported case. The Ebola-Sudan virus was also recognized in 1976 and was thought to be that same as Ebola-Zaire and it is thought to have broken out in a cotton factory in the Sudan. The Ebola-Ivory Coast was

Most of the Ebola cases throughout history were located in western and southern Africa in countries such as Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria (CDC, 2014). Recently, within the last month, Senegal and the US have seen their first cases of the virus. The new cases have brought the total death count from Ebola to 3493. The virus itself is native to Africa and is extremely prevalent in non-human primates and bats. There is a vast majority of the population in Africa that consumes these infected animals, which is believed to be how humans first contracted the disease (Ehrlich, 2014).