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Ebola Virus

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Anatomy and Physiology II
25 April 2013
Ebola
According to Aubrey Stimola, author of Ebola, it all started in the town of Yambuku, Zaire, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. A two week trip to a northern, African jungle had led forty-four year old Mabalo Lokela. All of a sudden, he began experiencing a headache. He stopped by a mission hospital, which was run by nuns. After examining him, they concluded it to be malaria, gave him a quinine injection with one of their five needles, and sent him on his way. Two days later, another man came in with bizarre symptoms, including diarrhea and a heavily bleeding nose, which no amount of anti-biotic would cure. Little did the nuns know, this was the start of a viral epidemic (Stimola 22). Unfortunately for Mabalo, he was the index case for the Ebola Zaire Hemorrhagic Fever (Stimola 27). Since its discovery in 1976, the medical world has been trying to discover what the natural reservoir of this virus is. Some research, reported by Baylor College of Medicine (DMVM,) states that Ebola naturally occurs in fruit bats. In some cases, the three species of bats showed no symptoms of the fever (DMVM). This would, in turn, cause it to become the perfect reservoir for the virus. Incubation of the virus happens within 2-21 days. Initial symptoms of the virus are simple, and seemingly non-life threatening; a mild headache and high fever accompanied by nausea and vomiting cause it to be mistaken for malaria. However, as the days progress, so does the virus. Severe bleeding takes place. Bloody gums, noses, vomit and diarrhea are all common; as well as red eyes and joint pain. Eyes and skin become red from tiny capillaries bursting, and bleeding in the brain causes dementia, hysteria, and hallucinations in the last stages of the disease. Horrible pain that comes from the virus is actually the breakdown of all the body’s organs and blood vessels. When these symptoms appear, most victims die within ten days (Stimola 18-20). Transmission of this disease is very simple, but almost unavoidable. The only strands pathogenic to humans are spread through the blood or bodily secretions of the infected person. Because of this, those caring for the sick, or even families and friends, are at risk; especially in the poverty, stricken countries that are normally affected. They can also be spread in a healthcare setting where needles are only washed, instead of sterilized, and where cleanliness is also a large issue. Where these viruses are, hospitals are normally poor; patients are often cared for without gloves and masks (United States (1.) 3-4). The World Health Organization ‘s procedures are normally followed on the operation of low income hospitals. This two-hundred and nine page paper explains everything from hand washing, to isolating the patient, which is all done with extreme caution (United States (2.). Mortality rates of Ebola can range from a low of 50%, to a high of 90% (DMVM). One reason for this wide range of deaths is because of the different sub-types of Ebola. Currently, there are five known Ebola strains in the world; Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Reston, Ebola-Ivory Coast and Ebola-Bundibugyo (Uganda). The Zaire sub-type of Ebola is known as the strain with the highest mortality rate. This strain was the identified index case of Ebola, which had an 88% death rate in 1976 (Stimola 26-27). In contrast, The Britannica Encyclopedia states that the Uganda strain of Ebola has a 25% mortality rate, and Ebola-Sudan has a 50% mortality rate. Ebola- Ivory Coast and Reston are not believed to be pathogenic to humans, but only to non-human primates. Ebola Ivory-Coast, while having made two people sick, has not caused death from infection. (Ebola) According to a National Geographic writer Stefan Lovgren, Ebola-Reston, may have been spread in a lab setting among monkeys by the air. While it has not done so with humans, it does raise a great amount of concern. Another notable concern is that all Ebola strains have shown the ability to spread by air, but only in particular research conditions (Lovgren). Great amounts of research have taken place in the past few years for an Ebola vaccine. Many difficulties arise when creating a vaccine for such a dangerous virus, because, obviously, very few scientists are trained to work in such strict lab conditions. When tested, vaccines made from attenuated Ebola viruses have not been encouraging, and of course, scientists do not want to risk depositing live or weak versions of the virus into an otherwise healthy human (Stimola, 40). According to Jesse Emspak, a contributor of LiveScience, scientists have now linked large quantities of Immunoglobulin G in the blood to surviving an Ebola infection. This information alone is crucial because it will help doctors decide who is most at risk for Ebola during outbreaks. Emspak also reports that a new vaccine is now planned to be tested on humans this year (2013) (Emspak) In conclusion, a great amount of research has been done to help fight this horrific virus, yet researchers still have a long way to go. Research has been hard and difficult, but maybe one day, because of their research, Ebola will only be a virus read in textbooks, not in newspapers.

Works Cited
Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology. "Ebola Virus." Baylor College of Medicine. Baylor College of Medicine, 31 July 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bcm.edu/molvir/ebola>. (DMVM)

"Ebola". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2013
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/177623/Ebola>.

Emspak, Jesse. "Step Taken Toward Ebola Vaccine." LiveScience.com. LiveScience, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/24829-ebola-vaccine-study.html>.

Lovgren, Stefan. "Where Does Ebola Hide Between Epidemics?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 19 Feb. 2003. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0219_030219_ebolaorigin_2. html>.

Stimola, Aubrey. Ebola. New York: Rosen Pub., 2011. Print.

United States (1.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Information Packet. By National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9 Apr. 2010. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.

United States (2.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES. Infection Control for Viral Haemorragic Fevers in the African Health Care Setting. By World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dec. 1998. Web. 8 Apr. 2013

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