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Ebola Research Paper

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Ebola or also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever in years past is a rare and very deadly disease if left untreated. Ebola is caused by an infection with one of the five Ebola virus strains. Ebola virus disease (EVD) first appeared in 1976 in two 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 disease takes its name (World Health Organization, 2015). The disease is known to affect not only humans but primates as well such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys. People may contract Ebola in a number of ways through direct contact with bodily fluids including semen, breast milk, vomit, sweat, feces, saliva, urine, and blood. …show more content…

To date there have been more cases and deaths during this outbreak of Ebola than all the other outbreaks together. The disease has spread between countries such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone due to very poor health systems, a lack of doctors and nurses as well as hospital and clinics, and because they have just recently come out of long periods of civil wars and instability. On August 8, 2014 the World Health Organization Director-General declared the West Africa outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International concern (World Health Organization, …show more content…

All specimens must be tested under biosafety conditions either in-country, or by a collaborating lab for Ebola. If an individual passes away from Ebola every attempt is made to provide a safe and dignified burial. The family of the deceased is fully informed of the process that way possible community resistance or even conflict is avoided. Social mobilization includes interacting with the community to inform them in a clear and understandable way the risks associated with the disease and how to respond to those affected without the threat of being stigmatized. Since travel as become more prevalent in and out of West Africa clinicians need to be ever vigilant and take a good travel history, as well as isolate and test ill travelers if symptoms should present. The CDC has issued detailed guidelines regarding identifying, isolating, diagnosing, and treating patients (Thomas R. Frieden, 2014). Health care workers are not the only ones to receive guidelines the CDC has also issues guides for cargo, cleaning, and airline flight personnel as well.

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