ebola virus disease: key facts, by dr praveen malik

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola virus disease) -- key facts

Dr. Praveen Malik, Assistant Professor (Medicine)HIMSR, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a disease caused by five different strains of Ebola virus; these viruses infect humans and nonhuman primates.

1. Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV)2. Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV)3. Reston ebolavirus (RESTV)4. Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV)5. Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV).

Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.

The disease takes its name from Ebola River which flows through Republic of Congo.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever has a short history since it was discovered in 1976. There have been a few outbreaks, including the current

(2014) "unprecedented epidemic" in Africa.

Symptoms and Signs

• incubation period of 2 to 21 days,• starting with abrupt fever, headache, joint

and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness;• progression of symptoms include diarrhoea,

vomiting, stomach pain, hiccups, and rash• devastating symptoms of internal and external

bleeding in many patients.

Ebola viruses are mainly found in primates in Africa and possibly the Philippines; there are only occasional outbreaks of infection in humans. Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurs mainly in Africa in the

Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sudan, Ivory Coast, and Uganda, but it may occur in other African countries.

Ebola virus can be spread by direct contact with blood and secretions, by contact with blood and secretions that remain on

clothing, and by needles and/or syringes used to treat Ebola-infected patients.

Risk factors for Ebola hemorrhagic fever are travel to areas with endemic Ebola hemorrhagic fever and/or any close association

with an infected person.

Early clinical diagnosis is difficult as the symptoms are nonspecific; however, if the patient is suspected to have Ebola, the patient

needs to be isolated and local and state health departments need to be immediately contacted.

Definitive diagnostic tests for Ebola hemorrhagic fever are ELISA and or PCRtests; viral cultivation and biopsy samples may also be

used.

Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or

animals.

ZMapp: New potential medication for Ebola Virus Disease

There are many complications from Ebola hemorrhagic fever; the prognosis for patients ranges from fair to poor since many patients died from the disease (case fatality rate equals about 25%-100%).

Prevention of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is difficult; early testing and isolation of the patient, plus barrier nursing for caregivers (mask, gown, goggles, and gloves), is very important to prevent others

from getting infected.

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