Know 21 Facts about Ebola Virus Symptoms Prevention Treatment Ebola Cure
Know 21 Facts about Ebola Virus Symptoms Prevention Treatment Ebola Cure
The 2014 Ebola outbreak is one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history and the first in West Africa.
It is affecting four countries in West Africa: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone
Following are the 21 important Facts about Ebola Virus Symptoms Prevention Treatment Ebola Cure
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Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
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How the Ebola virus got its name?
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.
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There are five identified subspecies of Ebolavirus. Four of the five have caused disease in humans:
1-Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus);
2-Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus);
3-Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus);
4-Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus).
5-The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.
The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses remains unknown. However, on the basis of available evidence and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the virus is zoonotic (animal-borne) with bats being the most likely reservoir. Four of the five subtypes occur in an animal host native to Africa.
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What is Ebola?
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains (Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, or Tai Forest virus). Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. Ebola was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in several African countries.
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What are the signs and symptoms of Ebola?
Signs and symptoms of Ebola include
Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
Severe headache,
Muscle pain,
Vomiting,
Diarrhea,
Stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.
Signs and symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, although 8 to 10 days is most common.
Other diseases that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of EVD can be made include: malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.
Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed definitively in a laboratory through several types of tests:
Antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Antigen detection tests
Serum neutralization test
Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
Electron microscopy
Virus isolation by cell culture.
Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; testing should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.
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How is Ebola spread?
The virus is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with blood and body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, vomit, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola, or with objects (like needles) that have been contaminated with the virus.
Ebola is not spread through the air or by water or, in general, by food; however, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats.
How Is Ebola Diagnosed?
Sometimes it's hard to tell if a person has Ebola from the symptoms alone.
Doctors may test to rule out other diseases like cholera or malaria.
Tests of blood and tissues also can diagnose Ebola.
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Who is most at risk of getting Ebola?
Healthcare providers caring for Ebola patients and family and friends in close contact with Ebola patients are at the highest risk of getting sick because they may come in direct contact with the blood or body fluids of sick patients.
In some places affected by the current outbreak, care may be provided in clinics with limited resources (for example, no running water, no climate control, no floors, inadequate medical supplies), and workers could be in those areas for several hours with a number of Ebola infected patients. Additionally, certain job responsibilities and tasks, such as attending to dead bodies, may also require different PPE than what is used when providing care for infected patients in a hospital.
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Can I get Ebola from a person who is infected but doesn’t have fever or any symptoms?
No. A person infected with Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear.
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If someone survives Ebola, can he or she still spread the virus?
Once someone recovers from Ebola, they can no longer spread the virus. However, Ebola virus has been found in semen for up to 3 months. People who recover from Ebola are advised to abstain from sex or use condoms for 3 months.
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Can Ebola be spread through mosquitos?
There is no evidence that mosquitos or other insects can transmit Ebola virus. Only mammals (for example, humans, bats, monkeys and apes) have shown the ability to spread and become infected with Ebola virus.
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How is Ebola treated?
No specific vaccine or medicine has been proven to cure Ebola. Signs and symptoms of Ebola are treated as they appear. The following basic interventions, when used early, can increase the chances of survival.
A-Providing fluids and electrolytes
B-Maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure
C-Treating other infections if they occur
Early recognition of Ebola is important for providing appropriate patient care and preventing the spread of infection. Healthcare providers should be alert for and evaluate any patients suspected of having Ebola.
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How do I protect myself against Ebola?
If you are in or traveling to an area affected by the Ebola outbreak, protect yourself by doing the following:
Wash hands frequently.
Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of any person, particularly someone who is sick.
Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
Do not touch the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
Do not touch bats and nonhuman primates or their blood and fluids and do not touch or eat raw meat prepared from these animals.
Avoid hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. Embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on medical facilities.
Seek medical care immediately if you develop fever (temperature of 101.5oF/ 38.6oC) and any of the other following symptoms: headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding.
Limit your contact with other people until and when you go to the doctor. Do not travel anywhere else besides a healthcare facility.
CDC has issued a Warning, Level 3 travel notice for three countries. U.S. citizens should avoid all nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
CDC has issued an Alert, Level 2 travel notice for Nigeria.
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How can healthcare providers protect themselves?
Healthcare providers can take several infection control measures to protect themselves when dealing with Ebola patients.
Anyone entering the patient’s room should wear at least gloves, a gown, eye protection (goggles or a face shield), and a facemask.
Additional personal protective equipment (PPE) might be needed in certain situations (for example, when there is a lot of blood, vomit, feces, or other body fluids).
Healthcare providers should frequently perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact, contact with potentially infectious material, and before putting on and after removing PPE, including gloves.
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What do I do if I’m returning to the U.S. from the area where the outbreak is occurring?
After you return, pay attention to your health.
Monitor your health for 21 days if you were in an area with an Ebola outbreak, especially if you were in contact with blood or body fluids, items that have come in contact with blood or body fluids, animals or raw meat, or hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated or participated in burial rituals.
Seek medical care immediately if you develop fever (temperature of 101.5oF/ 38.6oC) and any of the following symptoms: headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding.
Tell your doctor about your recent travel and your symptoms before you go to the office or emergency room. Advance notice will help your doctor care for you and protect other people who may be in the office.
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What do I do if I am traveling to an area where the outbreak is occurring?
If you are traveling to an area where the Ebola outbreak is occurring, protect yourself by doing the following:
Wash your hands frequently.
Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of any person, particularly someone who is sick.
Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
Do not touch the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
Do not touch bats and nonhuman primates or their blood and fluids and do not touch or eat raw meat prepared from these animals.
Avoid hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. Embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities.
Seek medical care immediately if you develop fever (temperature of 101.5oF/ 38.6oC) and any of the other following symptoms: headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding.
Limit your contact with other people until and when you go to the doctor. Do not travel anywhere else besides a healthcare facility.
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Should people traveling to Africa be worried about the outbreak?
Currently, Ebola has only been reported in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.
A small number of cases in Nigeria have been associated with a man from Liberia who traveled to Lagos and died from Ebola, but the virus does not appear to have been widely spread.
CDC has issued a Warning, Level 3 travel notice for United States citizens to avoid all nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. CDC has also issued an Alert, Level 2 travel notice for travelers to Nigeria urging them to protect themselves by avoiding contact with the blood and body fluids of people who are sick with Ebola.
You can find more information on these travel notices at
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.
CDC currently does not recommend that travelers avoid visiting other African countries. Although spread to other countries is possible, CDC is working with the governments of affected countries to control the outbreak.
Ebola is a very low risk for most travelers – it is spread through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of a sick person, so travelers can protect themselves by avoiding sick people and hospitals where patients with Ebola are being treated.
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What does CDC’s Travel Alert Level 3 mean to U.S. travelers?
A level 3 alert means that there is a high risk to travelers and that CDC advises that travelers avoid nonessential travel.
CDC recommends that U.S. residents avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
If you must travel (for example, to do for humanitarian aid work in response to the outbreak) protect yourself by following CDC’s advice for avoiding contact with the blood and body fluids of people who are ill with Ebola.
Travel notices are designed to inform travelers and clinicians about current health issues related to specific destinations.
These issues may arise from disease outbreaks, special events or gatherings, natural disasters, or other conditions that may affect travelers’ health.
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Are there any cases of people contracting Ebola in the U.S.?
No confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in the United States, with the exception of two U.S. healthcare workers who were infected with Ebola virus in Liberia and were transported to a hospital in the United States.
Both patients have been released from the hospital after laboratory testing confirmed that they no longer have Ebola virus in their blood.
CDC has advised the hospital that there is no public health concern with their release and that they do not pose a risk to household contacts or to the public.
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Vaccine and treatment for Ebola
No licensed vaccine for EVD is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.
No specific treatment is available. New drug therapies are being evaluated.
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Could Ebola be brought to the U.S. through imported animals?
Because of the tough restrictions the U.S. federal government has in place for importing animals from Africa, it is highly unlikely for Ebola to be brought into the U.S. through imported animals.
The animals most commonly associated with Ebola are nonhuman primates (for example, apes and monkeys) and bats.
Both the CDC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulate importation of nonhuman primates and bats.
These animals, products made from these animals, and research samples from these animals may only be imported into the United States with a permit. The permit specifies that the animals, animal products, or research samples are arriving ONLY for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.
It is illegal to import these animals into the United States as pets or bushmeat.
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Ebola Info graphic
Source –
http://www.cdc.gov
http://www.who.int
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Friday, August 29, 2014
Tags – Ebola Factsheet Treatment
4 comments:
I just hope I'm safe in Canada.
@DWei
thanks.
There are 2 or 3 patients in US and there is a frenzy about disease spreading here. Can't imagine what's the situation in those 4 countries.
@Saru Singhal
thanks.