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The Mortality Rate Of Ebola

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Ebola is one of the most deadly diseases known to man. The mortality rate of Ebola ranges from 25% to 90% (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010; Cowart, 2014). There is no cure for Ebola and no vaccine to prevent its spread (WHO, 2014; CDC, 2010; Cowart, 2014). The virus itself is spreads between organisms through bodily fluids, such as blood and vomit, which are shed by an infected individual (WHO, 2014; CDC, 2010). These fluids typically carry a large viral load, or number of cells that harbor the virus (WHO, 2014; CDC, 2010). The virus is spread when infectious bodily fluids come into contact with mucous membranes (WHO, 2014; CDC, 2010). As such, infection can occur when infectious fluids enter a cut, enter intravenously, or encounter mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose, or mouth (WHO, 2014; CDC, 2010).

Ebola is so deadly, because it basically takes control over the body’s immune system (Cowart, 2014; Sullivan, Yan, and Nabel, 2003). Since Ebola targets the immune and vascular system, it pretty much targets all organs within the body (Cowart, 2014; Chan, 2014; Sullivan, Yan, and Nabel, 2003). According to Sullivan, Yan, and Nabel (2003), once the virus enters the body, it replicates at an accelerated rate overwhelming the body’s immune system. Upon infection with the virus, the virus invades the body’s monocytes and macrophages, which release cytokines that travel throughout a person’s vascular

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