The Ebola virus
Ebola virus is an infectious viral disease was discovered in 1976
by Dr. David Finkes in Zaire and Sudan name ( Ebola ) comes from a river
located in Zaire where the first infected man originated .
Ebola fever bleeding occurs in humans and some primates like
monkeys , chimpanzees and gorillas and their mortality rate is 50 % to 95 % in
those infected.
is transmitted through live or dead infected through blood, tissues
, body fluids and secretions subject.
the source of Ebola are fruit bats , particularly Hypsignathus
monstrosus , Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata that bite other animals
such as primates , rodents and more virus spread among many species including
humans.
this virus is Filoviridae Family and gender Filovirus , taxonomic
status it shares with Marburg virus incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days,
but more often it is 5 to 12 days.
In 1976 they killed about 92% of those infected.
Given the lethal nature of Ebola , since there is no approved
vaccine or treatment is not available, it is classified as an agent for
biosafety level 4 and Category A bioterrorism agent by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention diseases . It has the potential to serve as a weapon for
use in biological warfare. The effectiveness as a biological weapon is
compromised by its rapid lethality as patients quickly die before they are able
to spread the infection.
In 2014 in the United States a serum was tested experimentally in
two people infected with this virus ; this serum could be the cure for this
disease but not have more details. In Spain in 2014 this serum was also applied
to a patient, but two days later died .
TREAT AS
The Ebola virus , like all the "hot" virus has no cure
and no specific treatment . The treatment used today is supportive ,
cardiopulmonary support and intensive care , taking into account patient
privacy and the protection of biological risk to health care providers .
Extreme care with patient secretions as it is a highly contagious
infection.It is easy to reproduce in laboratories, highly contagious but
questionable aerosol transmission , Ebola mortality can reach 90 %. Despite
what is thought at first , it has been shown that the process of blood serum
surviving virus is not effective in treating the disease.
In 1998 , Maurice Iwu announced at the International Botanical Congress
that the fruit extract of Garcinia kola , a tree in West Africa, used by local
healers in other ailments , stop the growth of the virus in laboratory tests.
However, as of June 2005, has not yet been tested on animals or humans.
USAMRIID scientists and other institutes have succeeded in
producing a vaccine for Ebola Virus mounted off the common cold virus , which
appears to have been successful in mice and monkeys. This gives hope to those
who live in areas where Ebola is endemic , and may be the first step in the
development of other vaccines.
POSSIBLE NEW TREATMENT Following the outbreak of Guinea in 2014 (where
the 4 August of the same year , WHO reported 1711 suspected and confirmed cases
of Ebola and a total of 932 deaths) a doctor and a missionary traveled to the
United States from Liberia , having been affected by Ebola, to be treated with an
experimental serum ZMapp called US-produced by the biotechnology company Mapp
Biopharmaceutical Inc. The compound is a " three -of murine monoclonal
antibody -mice " that have been exposed to virus fragments . The
antibodies formed in response to the body of the mice were collected to make
the drug. As reported the result was positive and the August 9th, 2014 still
under observation.
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals The Canadian company has developed a drug
called TKM- Ebola which worked with satisfactory results in monkeys. This
announced that in early August 2014, the Food and Drug Administration
reclassified the drug " total breakdown " (full hold) to "
partial failure " (partial hold) in clinical trials , which means that
Tekmira can use the drug on limited experiments .
In August 2014, the pharmacological laboratory NewLink Genetics
Corp. said Iowa is about to begin human experiments with a vaccine that has
proven 100 % effective in preventing infection in nonhuman primates.
Control of Ebola Reston virus in domestic animals
There is no vaccine against RESTV animal . It is considered that
the cleaning and disinfection regular ( with sodium hypochlorite or other
detergents ) of pig and monkey is effective to inactivate the virus . If you
suspect you have an outbreak , local should be quarantined immediately.
To reduce the risk of transmission to humans may be necessary to
sacrifice the infected animals, closely supervising the burial or cremation of
the dead . Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms
to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.
Because human infections have been preceded by outbreaks RESTV in
pigs and monkeys, the establishment of an active surveillance system for animal
health to detect new cases is essential in order to alert you early to
veterinary and public health .
Reducing the risk of human infection with Ebola virus
A lack of effective treatment and a human vaccine, awareness of the
risk factors for this infection and the protective measures that people can
take is the only way to reduce the number of human infections and deaths.
In Africa , where outbreaks of EVE , educational public health
messages are produced to reduce risks should focus on several factors.
- Reduce the risk of transmission
from wild animals to humans resulting from contact with fruit bats or
monkeys or apes infected and consumption of their meat raw . Gloves and
other appropriate protective clothing when handling animals should be
used. Its products ( flesh and blood ) should be thoroughly cooked before
eating.
- Reduce the risk of transmission
from person to person in the community as a result of direct or close
contact with infected patients , especially with their body fluids. Avoid
close physical contact with patients with EVE and use gloves and
appropriate personal protective equipment to care for the sick at home .
You need to wash your hands regularly after visiting patients in the
hospital and after caring for patients at home.
- The communities affected by the
FSC should inform the public about the nature of the disease and the
measures to contain outbreaks , especially the burial of the deceased.
Patients who die of it must be buried quickly and safely .
In Africa, pig farms can participate in the amplification of
infection due to the presence of fruit bats . Biosecurity measures should be
introduced to limit transmission . Regarding the RESTV , educational public
health messages should focus on reducing the risk of transmission from pigs to
humans as a result of unsafe practices of breeding and slaughter and
consumption of fresh blood , raw milk or tissues animals.
Gloves and other appropriate sacrificing handling sick animals or
their tissues or protective clothing should be used. In areas where there are
reports of infection in pigs RESTV , all animal products (blood, meat and milk)
should be thoroughly cooked before consumption .
INFECTION CONTROL IN HEALTH
CARE
Transmission of Ebola virus from person to person primarily
associated with direct or indirect contact with blood or body fluids. There
have been reports of transmission to health workers in situations where they
had not taken appropriate measures to control the infection.
It is not always possible to early identify patients with EVE
because early symptoms may be nonspecific . For this reason , it is important
that health professionals observe at all times and all places the usual precautions
for all patients , regardless of diagnosis. These include basic hand hygiene ,
respiratory hygiene , use of personal protective equipment depending on the
risk of splashing or other contact with infected materials) and injecting
practices and safe burial .
Those working in the laboratory are also at risk . The samples
taken for diagnostic purposes in humans or animals with suspected or confirmed
by Ebola should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped
laboratories.
