what exactly is ebola.is it a virus.would like to know where it originates,how you become infected and treatment.whats the mortality rate?have there ever been cases in the uk? Ebola is the common term for a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, which cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The disease can be deadly and encompasses a range of symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, changes in skin color, general body pain, internal, external bleeding, and fever . Mortality rates are generally high, ranging from 50% - 90%, with the cause of death usually due to hypovolemic shock or multiple organ failure.
The virus is named after the Ebola River in the African nation-state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Za茂re), near the site of the first outbreaks[4].The Democratic Republic of Congo has been the site of four recent outbreaks, including one in May 2005. Ebola is believed to be a zoonotic virus, although despite considerable effort by the World Health Organization, no animal reservoir capable of sustaining the virus between outbreaks has been identified. One possible candidate reservoir is the fruit bat[5]. Because Ebola is lethal and since no approved vaccine or treatment is available, Ebola is classified as a Biosafety Level 4 agent; as well as a Category A Bioterrorism agent and a select agent by the CDC.
The symptoms of Ebola are rather similar to that of the Marburg virus, which is also in the family Filoviridae.
Symptoms
1976 photograph of two nurses standing in front of Kinshasa case #3 (Nurse Mayinga) who was treated and later died in Ngaliema Hospital, in Kinshasa, Za茂reSymptoms are varied and often appear suddenly. Initial symptoms include: high fever (at least 38.8掳C/101掳F), severe headache, muscle, joint, or abdominal pain, severe weakness and exhaustion, sore throat, nausea, and dizziness. Before an outbreak is suspected, these early symptoms are easily mistaken for malaria, typhoid fever, dysentery, influenza, or various bacterial infections, which are all far more common.
Ebola goes on to cause diarrhea, dark or bloody stool, vomiting blood, red eyes from swollen blood vessels, red spots on the skin from subcutaneous bleeding, maculopapular rash, purpura, and bleeding internally and externally from any orifice, including from the nose, mouth, rectum, genitals or needle puncture sites.
Other secondary symptoms include hypotension (less than 90mm Hg), hypovolemia, tachycardia, severe organ damage (especially the kidneys, spleen, and liver) as a result of disseminated systemic necrosis, and proteinuria. The span of time from onset of symptoms to death (usually due to hypovolemic shock and/or multiple organ failure) is usually between 7 and 14 days. By the second week of infection, patients will either defervesce (the fever will lessen) or undergo systemic multiorgan failure.
Transmission
Among humans, the virus is transmitted by direct contact with infected body fluids, or to a lesser extent, skin or mucus membrane contact. The incubation period can be anywhere from 2 to 21 days, but is generally between 5 and 10 days.
Although airborne transmission between monkeys has been demonstrated in a laboratory, there is very limited evidence for human-to-human airborne transmission in any reported epidemics.16,17,18 Nurse Mayinga might represent the only possible case. The means by which she contracted the virus remain uncertain.
So far all epidemics of Ebola have occurred in sub-optimal hospital conditions, where practices of basic hygiene and sanitation are often either luxuries or unknown to caretakers and where disposable needles and autoclaves are unavailable or too expensive. In modern hospitals with disposable needles and knowledge of basic hygiene and barrier nursing techniques, Ebola rarely spreads on such a large scale.
In the early stages, Ebola may not be highly contagious. Contact with someone in early stages may not even transmit the disease. As the illness progresses, bodily fluids from diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding represent an extreme biohazard. Due to lack of proper equipment and hygienic practices, large scale epidemics occur mostly in poor, isolated areas without modern hospitals and/or well-educated medical staff. Many areas where the infectious reservoir exists have just these characteristics. In such environments all that can be done is to immediately cease all needle sharing or use without adequate sterilization procedures, to isolate patients, and to observe strict barrier nursing procedures with the use of a medical rated disposable face mask, gloves, goggles, and a gown at all times. This should be strictly enforced for all medical personnel and visitors.
Treatments
Treatment is primarily supportive and includes minimizing invasive procedures, balancing electrolytes, replacing lost coagulation factors to help stop bleeding, maintaining oxygen and blood levels, and treating any complicating infections. Despite some initial anecdotal evidence, blood serum from Ebola survivors has been shown to be ineffective in treating the virus. Interferon is also thought to be ineffective. In monkeys, administration of an inhibitor of coagulation (rNAPc2) has shown some benefit, protecting 33% of infected animals from a usually 100% (for monkeys) lethal infection. In early 2006, scientists at USAMRIID announced a 75% recovery rate after infecting four rhesus monkeys with Ebola virus and administering antisense drugs.
Vaccines
Vaccines have been produced for both Ebola and Marburg that were 100% effective in protecting a group of monkeys from the disease[9]. These vaccines are based on either a recombinant Vesicular stomatitis virus or a recombinant Adenovirus carrying the Ebola spikeprotein on its surface. Early human vaccine efforts, like the one at NIAID in 2003, have so far not reported any successes http://www.brettrussell.com/personal/wha...
here you will find answers to all your questions Ebola is the common term for a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, which cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever[1]. The disease can be deadly and encompasses a range of symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, changes in skin color, general body pain, internal, external bleeding, and fever [2]. Mortality rates are generally high, ranging from 50% - 90%, with the cause of death usually due to hypovolemic shock or multiple organ failure[3].
The virus is named after the Ebola River in the African nation-state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Za茂re), near the site of the first outbreaks[4].The Democratic Republic of Congo has been the site of four recent outbreaks, including one in May 2005. Ebola is believed to be a zoonotic virus, although despite considerable effort by the World Health Organization, no animal reservoir capable of sustaining the virus between outbreaks has been identified. One possible candidate reservoir is the fruit bat[5]. Because Ebola is lethal and since no approved vaccine or treatment is available, Ebola is classified as a Biosafety Level 4 agent; as well as a Category A Bioterrorism agent[6] and a select agent by the CDC Ebola is a very nasty virus, with a mortality rate varying between 50% and 95%, depending upon availability of treatment. It's a form of hemorrhagic fever, in which your soft organs start to bleed internally, which results in further external bleeding from every orifice. Even the skin can become fragile and start to bleed. The only way to cure Ebola, and many of the other hemorrhagic fevers is by careful nursing and constant supply of fluids, along with extremely strong anti-virals.
I don't think there have been any cases in the UK in humans, but there has been a case where it wiped out an entire breeding colony of lab monkeys. Ebola is the common term for a group of viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, which cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The disease can be deadly and encompasses a range of symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, changes in skin color, general body pain, internal, external bleeding, and fever. Mortality rates are generally high, ranging from 50% - 90%, with the cause of death usually due to hypovolemic shock or multiple organ failure.The virus is named after the Ebola River in the African nation-state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Za茂re), near the site of the first outbreaks. Because Ebola is lethal and since no approved vaccine or treatment is available, Ebola is classified as a Biosafety Level 4 agent; as well as a Category A Bioterrorism agent and a select agent by the CDC. I like it Read "The hot zone" by richard preston. A little over dramatised, but gives a very good account of all the questions you ask. |
