Ebola

What is Ebola?

Remember Ebola? Yes, Ebola, I bet you haven't heard about it for sometime now. It was the virus that shook West Africa from 2013-2016, causing deaths, social and economical problems. It shook the rest of the world slightly as the virus popped up all over headlines, but was thankfully stopped from spreading into a pandemic. 

The (commonly known) Ebola, or Zaire Ebolavirus, is a type of virus from the Ebolavirus (EBOV) family. There are 5 other kinds of Ebolaviruses in the family, such as the Sudan virus, Tai forest virus, Bundibugyo virus, Reston virus and the Bombali Virus. Only the first 4 has been known affect humans. The virus has been first discovered in 1976 in the Ebola river of the DRC, hence the name, and it is thought to be animal-borne, or transmitted from animals to humans. The virus has caused multiple outbreaks over the years, such as the West African Ebola Outbreak mentioned above, and is an extremely serious disease which can easily cause death quickly without proper treatment.

Symptoms:

There are a few stages of Ebola symptoms from mild to severe within about 2 weeks.

First symptoms (7-9 days after infected):

- Fever

- Headache

- Fatigue

- Joint aches

- Muscle soreness

- Muscle pain

More severe (Day 10):

- High Fever

- Blood vomiting

Extremely severe (Day 11):

- Bleeding from different parts of body (eyes, mouth, nose...)

- Unexplained bruising

- High fever

- Brain damage

Most severe (Day 12+):

- Seizures

- Organ failures

- Continued internal bleeding and bleeding from parts of body

- Death

Why does the bleeding happen?

The Ebola virus can infect a macrophage, and when they do so, they can cause blood clots to form in blood vessels which blocks some blood supply to organs causing them to fail. The virus can also trigger the body to inflame blood vessel lining, causing damages and leaking, which is why bleeding occurs in severe cases of ebola.

Transmission:

Ebola can be transmitted from the direct contact of body fluids, like blood, vomit, urine and sweat.

Treatment:

There are no antiviral drugs for Ebola currently. The treatment would be to intravenously feed your body with fluids and electrolytes, giving oxygen and to use medication to suppress symptoms caused by the virus.

Prevention:

Stay away from areas of high risk, avoid contact with infected people or wild animals and take a vaccine if you must.