The Ebola Virus Disease

Discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River, Ebola’s first two outbreaks in Sudan and Zaire killed the majority, over half, of the people infected with the disease. Although the natural host reservoir of Ebola has yet to be found, the virus is believed to be animal-borne. A person gets Ebola from a wild animal and then is spread throughout the human population through person-to-person transmission. Healthcare workers providing aide for Ebola victims know that they have a high possibility of contracting the disease because they are exposed to infected blood and body fluids. It could take from two to twenty-one days for the Ebola Virus to show symptoms in humans, and

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.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a virus transmitted from humans or animals through body fluids. It is transmitted by means of contact with infected blood, mucous membranes, semen and other secretions, therefore being skin lesions and sexual contact significant ways of transmission (Boulton, 2014). As a transmittable disease, progression of the virus had been thought to be linked to higher probabilities of transmission, and therefore safety of persons in contact with infected patients was in question (Yamin et al., 2015). A study conducted in Liberia in 2014 proved such hypothesis to be true and concluded that prompt and accurate isolation of infected patients was a safe method

Ebolavirus is responsible for highly lethal hemorrhagic fever. Like all viruses, it must reproduce its various components and assemble them in cells in order to reproduce infectious virions and perpetuate itself. To generate infectious Ebolavirus, a viral genome-protein complex called the nucleocapsid (NC) must be produced and transported to the cell surface, incorporated into virions, and then released from cells. To further our understanding of the Ebolavirus life cycle, we expressed the various viral proteins in mammalian cells and examined them ultrastructurally and biochemically. Expression of nucleoprotein alone led to the formation of helical tubes, which likely serve as a core for the NC. The matrix protein VP40 was found to be critical

got sick and died. This outbreak infected 318 with a death rate of 93% (Le

The symptoms of Ebola are a fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, vomiting, stomach pain, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness and occasionally read eyes, rashes, hiccups, and internal and external bleeding and since these symptoms are not specific to Ebola, it is difficult to clinically diagnose and can often be confused with other viruses. The ELISA testing, short for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and virus isolation are a couple of examples of the types of laboratory testing that can be done to diagnose and Ebola patient. Because of how easily it can be transmitted, it is extremely difficult to treat and there is no approved, official treatment. As of now, there is not standard treatment but usually the patients are given fluids and oxygen, have their blood pressure monitored and other necessary treatment. To prevent transmission and spreading the virus, the doctors use extreme caution and wear head to toe protective gear and isolate the patient. Even though the Ebola virus is common in Africa, there has been no known outbreak in the United States. Another difficulty facing scientists and the treatment for Ebola is that the natural reservoir for the virus unknown. The natural reservoir of a virus is it’s long term host of the

"The only sound is a choking in his throat as he continues to vomit while unconscious. Then comes a sound like a bed sheet being torn in half, which is the sound of his bowels opening at the sphincter and venting blood. The blood is mixed with his intestinal lining. He has sloughed off his gut. The lining of his intestines have come off and are being expelled along with huge amounts of blood" (Preston 17).

The last Ebola outbreak was merely a year ago. This tragedy is fresh; I remember watching the news in fear that Ebola would come to America…until it did. First in Texas then again when two American doctors were flown from Africa to Emory. The idea of Ebola being in my back yard was absolutely terrifying! I couldn’t stop imagining what I’m going to do when I’m a medical student and a biohazard level four patient is in the same hospital as me.

It is doubtless that Ebola virus has a big impact on human’s health. It kills many people and it is a catastrophe. Although there is some experimental treatments and vaccines, they are not commonly used because they are not approved by any organisation yet. Hope that approved vaccines and treatments in the future can stop ebola virus killing people so that more lives can be saved.

Ebola, once transmitted to a human is referred as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is an uncommon viral infection that deliberately targets every part of the human body with the exception of the skeletal system. When this lethal disease enters the host, it will first cause pain throughout the body and dramatically increase the body's temperature. Next, internal and external bleeding tends to occur, specifically form the face. After that, it will simply destroy the bodily tissue that holds the host's organs together. Aside from this, what the virus actually does and how it is transmitted, little to nothing is known due to the complex structure of the infectious disease, as there are five identified Ebola virus species. Four of the five affect humans

Children around the world fear the dark because they do not understand it. Much like a child’s fear of the dark, the panic caused by the Ebola virus is largely due to misunderstanding and is often blown out of proportion. The Ebola virus is discussed in the media because it generates hysteria, even though it is nowhere near as threatening as it is often claimed to be. Do not make the assumption that the virus itself is not lethal, as indeed it is one of the deadlier pathogens in the world; however, a variety of factors contribute to making the Ebola virus a less than perfect killer; in order to know why, it is important to understand what exactly the Ebola virus is.

6,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have obtained Ebola according to the World Health Organization, 3,000 people or more have died. The epidemic of Ebola spreading is a threat to Africa and other countries that’s healthcare isn’t strong enough to combat a disease alone (Burgess). This means the United States must step in to prevent the spread of this epidemic to prevent some estimates of the worst case scenario. The United States is morally responsible for the health of others and by containing the epidemic to these few countries; it will potentially save the United States and other allied countries with the US.

Fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, the chills and weakness (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Those are just some of the early symptoms of Zaire ebolavirus. This virus is also known as EBOV, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and the Ebola virus (Mulherkar, Raaben, Torre, Whelan, & Chandran, 2011). A couple days after the early symptoms appear, infected people start to feel nausea, vomit, have bloody diarrhea, red eyes, raised rash, chest pain and cough, stomach pain, severe weight loss, bleeding from the eyes and internal bleeding. Within days of infection, and without proper treatment, the infected person perishes (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). However, with a vaccine that would prevent the spread of Ebola, people may never experience these symptoms

In our decade, there have been mass discoveries of ways to treat, cure and prevent infectious viruses. If you were to just Google infectious virus breakthroughs the results would almost seem endless. With the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus one might begin to forget or bypass any recent advances. There is no denying that the Ebola virus has already had a tragic effect on our globe, and with our 24-hour news update availability it is often uncertain of what is true and what is untrue.

I’m sure you have recently heard of the Ebola Virus Disease breakouts in the media all across the globe. But the the real question is: Do you know what the Ebola Virus Disease is? Do you know why it is so concerning? The Ebola Virus Disease is rapidly affecting people all over the world. The Ebola Virus Disease has become a serious issue in today’s world and it must be taken care of before it is too late.