Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,140,555 members, 7,770,432 topics. Date: Tuesday, 19 March 2024 at 10:37 AM

Health: Ebola Virus, Causes, Symptoms And The Risk - Health - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Health / Health: Ebola Virus, Causes, Symptoms And The Risk (506 Views)

Common Toilet Disease : Symptoms And Prevention / What We Need To Know About Ebola Virus / Piles (haemorrhoids) – Basics, Symptoms And Treatment (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply)

Health: Ebola Virus, Causes, Symptoms And The Risk by Alexsmith20(m): 11:42pm On Jul 29, 2014
[\b]This weekend the Ebola virus was the cause of grim headlines after two Americans, including a doctor, were reported to be infected with the disease and Liberia's lead Ebola doctor died from the virus.[b]

That news is on top of the heavy toll of
1,093 infected in the current outbreak as
of July 20, according to the World Health
Organization. Of those infected, 660 have
died, meaning this outbreak has a fatality
rate more than 60 percent.

But what exactly is this dangerous disease
that kills so many? The Ebola virus is
described as a group of viruses that cause
a deadly kind of hemorrhagic fever.

The virus is transmitted through contact
with blood or secretions from an infected
person, either directly or through
contaminated needles or medical
equipment. The term "hemorrhagic fever"
means it causes bleeding inside and outside the body. There is no cure.

[\b]CAUSES[b]
Ebola virus has been found in African
monkeys, chimps and other nonhuman
primates. A milder strain of Ebola has
been discovered in monkeys and pigs in
the Philippines. Marburg virus has been
found in monkeys, chimps and fruit bats in Africa.

[\b]Transmission from animals to
humans[b]
Experts suspect that both viruses are
transmitted to humans through an infected
animal's bodily fluids. Examples include: [\b]Blood[b]. Butchering or eating infected animals can spread the viruses. Scientists who have operated on infected animals as part of their research have also
contracted the virus.
[\b]Waste products[b]. Tourists in certain African caves and some underground mine workers have been infected with
the Marburg virus, possibly through
contact with the feces or urine of
infected bats.

[\b]Transmission from person to
person[b]
Infected people typically don't become
contagious until they develop symptoms.
Family members are often infected as they
care for sick relatives or prepare the dead
for burial.
Medical personnel can be infected if they don't use protective gear, such as surgical
masks and gloves. Medical centers in
Africa are often so poor that they must
reuse needles and syringes. Some of the
worst Ebola epidemics have occurred
because contaminated injection equipment wasn't sterilized between uses.
There's no evidence that Ebola virus or
Marburg virus can be spread via insect
bites.

[\b]What is Ebola hemorrhagic fever?[b]
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease
caused by Ebola virus that results in
nonspecific symptoms early in the disease
and often causes internal and external
hemorrhage (bleeding) as the disease
progresses. Ebola hemorrhagic fever is considered one of the most lethal viral
infections; the mortality rate (death rate) is very high during outbreaks (reports of
outbreaks range from about 50% to 100%
of humans infected, depending on the
Ebola strain).

[\b]What is the history of Ebola
hemorrhagic fever?[b]
Ebola hemorrhagic fever was first noted in
Zaire (currently, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo or DRC) in 1976. The original outbreak was in a village near the Ebola River after which the disease was named. During that time, the virus was identified in person-to-person contact transmission.Of the 318 patients diagnosed with Ebola,
88% died. Since that time, there have
been multiple outbreaks of Ebola virus,
and five strains have been identified; four
of the strains are responsible for the high death rates. The four Ebola strains are
termed as follows: Zaire, Sudan, Tai
Forest, and Bundibugyo virus, with Zaire
being the most lethal strain. A fifth strain
termed Reston has been found in the
Philippines. The strain infects primates, pigs, and humans and causes few if any
symptoms and no deaths in humans. Most
outbreaks of the more lethal strains of
Ebola have occurred in Africa and mainly
in small- or medium-sized towns. Once
recognized, African officials have isolated the area until the outbreak ceased.
However, in this new outbreak that began
in Africa in March 2014, some of the
infected patients have reached larger city
centers and have been hospitalized.
Unfortunately, many people may have been exposed to the virus in the city, thus
causing more infections (and deaths). This
outbreak in Africa has now spread to
Guinea's capital and has been detected in
the neighboring countries of Liberia and
Sierra Leone. About 122 infected people have been diagnosed and 78 have died as
of Apr. 1, 2014. The infecting Ebola virus
detected this outbreak is the Zaire strain,
the most pathogenic strain of Ebola.
Health agencies are terming this outbreak
as an "unprecedented epidemic."

[\b]Symptoms[b]
Signs and symptoms typically begin
abruptly within five to 10 days of infection with Ebola or Marburg virus. Early signs and symptoms include:
Fever
Severe headache
Joint and muscle aches
Chills
Weakness

Over time, symptoms become increasingly
severe and may include: Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea (may be bloody)
Red eyes
Raised rash
Chest pain and cough
Stomach pain Severe weight loss
Bleeding, usually from the eyes, and
bruising (people near death may bleed
from other orifices, such as ears, nose
and rectum)
Internal bleeding.

[\b]Risk factors[b]

For most people, the risk of getting Ebola
or Marburg viruses (hemorrhagic fevers) is
low. The risk increases if you: Travel to Africa. You're at increased risk if you visit or work in areas where
Ebola virus or Marburg virus outbreaks
have occurred. Conduct animal research. People are more likely to contract the Ebola or
Marburg virus if they conduct animal
research with monkeys imported from
Africa or the Philippines. Provide medical or personal care. Family members are often infected as
they care for sick relatives. Medical
personnel also can be infected if they
don't use protective gear, such as
surgical masks and gloves. Prepare people for burial. The bodies of people who have died of Ebola or
Marburg hemorrhagic fever are still
contagious. Helping prepare these bodies
for burial can increase your risk of
developing the disease.

www.mikibelieve..com/2014/07/health-ebola-virus-causessymptoms-and.html?m=1

(1) (Reply)

Us State Department Ebola Alert(copy And Paste To Your Fb Page Pls) / BLOOD BANK/ Be Part Of Donor Today And Get 400,000 As A Reward. / GNLD Products Now Available For Sale.buy Your GNLD Products Now And Boost Your I

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 21
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.