Ebola is a deadly virus that can be transmitted through bodily fluids and causes severe symptoms such as fever, body aches, weakness, and bleeding. It is not always fatal, but has a high mortality rate. There is ongoing work on a vaccine, but no successful human vaccines have been produced yet.
Ebola is a deadly virus native to parts of Africa. It is classified as a haemorrhagic fever, putting it in the same category as Marburg fever, Lassa fever and dengue fever. There are four varieties, named after their country of origin. Ebola Zaire, Ebola Côte d’Ivoire, and Ebola Sudan are all known to cause severe disease in humans. Ebola Reston does not appear to cause disease in people.
The virus can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood and secretions. Well-established vectors for the infection include handling other Ebola-infected primates, touching infected corpses during funeral services, and touching infected patients without exercising due caution. It is thought that the disease can be transmitted through airborne particles, but so far there are no proven cases of this method of infection. Hospital staff are particularly susceptible to infection during an outbreak, particularly in countries where Ebola has hitherto occurred. Difficult economic conditions and lack of access to proper sterilization and protective clothing make nurses and doctors easy targets when dealing with patients who have been infected with this virus.
Contrary to popular misconception, Ebola does not kill within hours, and the virus will incubate for up to two weeks before symptoms begin to show. These symptoms include rapidly escalating fever, horrible body aches, and debilitating weakness. Additional symptoms may include diarrhea and vomiting, as well as internal and external bleeding.
While the popular media has presented the symptoms of Ebola as fast-acting and truly visually horrific, there is little external exposure of the virus in most cases. While external bleeding can occasionally occur, it is rare, and the popular image of people “melting” or internal organs literally liquefying is disproportionate. In fact, although it is classified as a haemorrhagic fever, less than half of the cases ultimately result in a hemorrhage. When hemorrhages, however, he is certainly capable of some grotesque displays, with bleeding that can occur from the mouth, genitals, nose, and under the skin.
The first Ebola outbreak in which the virus was identified occurred in western Sudan and parts of Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1976. More than 600 people were infected and more than 400 died. In 1995, a second major epidemic occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, infecting 315 people and killing 250. Since the first identification, more than 1,800 cases have been determined, of which 1,200 have resulted in death, making it one of the most fatal viruses affect humans.
There have been reports that ingesting an extract from a West African fruit helps treat Ebola once it’s contracted; these ratios have yet to be rigorously tested, however. Work on a vaccine is ongoing, with the recent success of a fully reliable vaccine for Ebola in monkeys. While no successful human vaccines have been produced, the future is promising.
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