One of the history's killer viruses, Ebola Virus shocks the world once again by the ongoing West Africa outbreak leaving thousands of people dead on its wake. How can we fight a killer disease like Ebola Virus? Are there ways of eradicating this disease?
Ebola Virus Disease or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever is a human-primates disease caused by an Ebola virus. Fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches for the first 2 days and it is being followed by vomiting, diarrhea and rash are common indications of contracting the virus. The first symptoms are most likely being infected by influenza. Between 8 to 10 days is the usual time of the start of symptoms when contracting the infection but it can vary between 2 and 21 days. Rashes may comprise as a symptom.
The ongoing 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak is the largest Ebola epidemic to date, which is affecting Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. 2,127 suspected cases resulting in the deaths of 1,145 have been reported in mid-August. Various research and studies are going on to develop a vaccine; however, none yet exists.
The Ebola virus that affected Liberia is causing confusion right now because patients disappeared. There were 17 allegedly reported Ebola patients who vanished after the quarantine center in the capital of Liberia was robbed.
As per BBC, 17 patients didn't disappear but absconded and 10 others were taken by their families. However, a senior medical officer said that all the patients were moved to a different facility.
The circumstances in Liberia need to be controlled as we all know that there is no cure for this said disease. We need to support in order to help those infected and give them oral rehydration since prevention is the best way that we can do as for now. Prevention includes decreasing the spread of disease from infected animals to humans. As the virus can be spread air borne, although it is not very clear how it was transmitted. It is believed to occur after an Ebola virus is transferred to an initial human by contact with an infected animal's body fluids. Human-to-human transmission can occur via direct contact with blood or bodily fluids from an infected person (including embalming of an infected dead person) or by contact with contaminated medical equipment, particularly needles and syringes.
Ebola Virus is a deadly disease killing 50% to 90% of the patients infected by the said virus. So, if there is no cure yet to this disease and the only best way to lessen the burden on affected patients is prevention, how can we fight to eradicate this deadly Ebola Virus?
