Ebola Virus Complete Fact Sheet

Ebola virus disease (EVD), better known in past as viral hemorrhagic fever, could be a severe, typically fatal human disease. The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness, which is commonly fatal if untreated. Ebola virus disease (EVD) first appeared in 1976 in a pair of coinciding outbreaks, one in Nzara, Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in an exceedingly village close to the Ebola river, which it takes its name.

The current outbreak in West Africa, (first cases notified in March 2014), is that the largest and most complicated viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak since the Ebola virus was discovered. There are additional cases and deaths during this eruption than all others combined. it's conjointly unfold between countries beginning in Guinea then spreading across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia, by air (1 individual only) to Nigeria, and by land (1 traveler) to Senegal.

The most severely affected countries, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have terribly weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructural resources, having solely recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability.

World Health Organization Director-General declared this eruption a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 8 August. A separate, unrelated viral hemorrhagic fever eruption began in Boende, Equateur, an isolated a part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Ebola river

Transmission

It is thought that fruit dotty of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. viral hemorrhagic fever is introduced into the human population through shut contact with the blood, secretions, organs or alternative bodily fluids of infected animals like chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest bovid and porcupines found sick or dead or within the forest.

Ebola then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucus membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or alternative bodily fluids of infected individuals, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Health-care staff has oftentimes been infected whereas treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through shut contact with patients once infection management precautions are not strictly practiced.

Burial ceremonies within which mourners have direct contact with the body of the dead person can even play a task within the transmission of viral hemorrhagic fever.

People stay infectious as long as their blood and body fluids, as well as cum and breast milk, contain the virus. Men World Health Organization have recovered from the sickness will still transmit the virus through their cum for up to seven weeks once recovery from unhealthiness.

Symptoms of Ebola virus disease

The incubation period is 2-21 days.

Humans are not infectious until they develop symptoms:

• Abrupt onset of fever fatigue,
• Muscle pain,
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Skin rash
• Liver and kidney impairment.
• Internal and external hemorrhage (e.g. oozing from the gums, blood within the stools).

Diagnosis

It is tough to tell apart EVD from alternative infectious diseases like protozoal infection, infectious disease and infectious disease. Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are created victimization the subsequent investigations:

• Antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• Antigen-capture detection tests
• Serum neutralization check
• Reverse polymerase enzyme chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• Electron research
• Virus isolation by cell culture.

Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; laboratory testing on non-inactivated samples ought to be conducted beneath most biological containment conditions.

Treatment and vaccines

Supportive care-rehydration with oral or blood vessel fluids- and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. There's hitherto no well-tried treatment obtainable for EVD. However, a spread of potential treatments as well as blood product, immune therapies and drug therapies are presently being evaluated. No commissioned vaccines are obtainable nevertheless, however a pair of potential vaccines are undergoing human safety testing. 

Prevention and management

Good eruption management depends on applying a package of interventions, specifically case management; police work and get in touch with tracing, a decent laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilization. Raising awareness of risk factors for Ebola virus infection and protecting measures that people will take is an efficient thanks to cut back human transmission.

Risk reduction electronic messaging ought to concentrate on many factors:

• Reducing the danger of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit dotty or monkeys/apes and therefore the consumption of their meat. Animals ought to be handled with gloves and alternative acceptable protecting consumer goods.

• Reducing the danger of human-to-human transmission from direct or shut contact with individuals with viral hemorrhagic fever symptoms, notably with their bodily fluids. Gloves and acceptable personal protecting instrumentality ought to be worn once taking care of sick patients reception. Regular hand laundry is needed once visiting patients in hospital, furthermore as once taking care of patients reception.

• Outbreak containment measures as well as prompt and safe burial of the dead, distinctive people that might are up-to-date with somebody infected with viral hemorrhagic fever, watching the health of contacts for twenty one days, the importance of separating the healthy from the sick to stop any unfold, the importance of fine hygiene and maintaining a clean surroundings.

Controlling infection in health-care settings:

Health-care staff should take customary precautions once caring for patients, no matter their probable designation. These embody basic hand hygiene, metastasis hygiene, use of non-public protecting instrumentality (to block splashes or alternative contact with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

Health-care staff caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus ought to apply further infection management measures to stop contact with the patient’s blood and body fluids and contaminated surfaces or materials like consumer goods and bedding. Once in shut contact (within one meter) of patients with Epstein-Barr virus, health-care staff ought to wear face protection (a face defend or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved robe, and gloves (sterile gloves for a few procedures).

Laboratory staffs also are in danger. Samples taken from humans and animals for investigation of viral hemorrhagic fever infection ought to be handled by trained employees and processed in befittingly equipped laboratories.