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Travelling instructions to Ebola affected countries

For those who are about to travel or are already travelling to Ebola affected countries, World Health Organization (WHO) has listed out the travel advice. Travelers are requested to again consider the necessity of the travel. Since the outbreak of the disease is a very serious issue and the healthcare systems are already weak, travel advice had to be given. Check what your health insurance plan covers. Many health insurance plans do not include Evacuation insurance. Maintain hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or carry a hand sanitizer while on the trip. Be careful to not getting in contact with any body fluids or blood of an Ebola infected person. Do not use or touch items used by an infected person. Items such as syringes, towels, mugs etc. should not be handled. Do not come in contact with dead body of the person who died of Ebola. While attending funeral or burial rituals, stay conscious and avoid contact. Do not have sex with a person infected or recove
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Major Ebola outbreaks

Sudan in 1976: It was the 1 st outbreak that occurred in Nzara and other nearby areas. 284 cases were reported, out of which 151 victims died. Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire) in 1976: It reported 318 cases out of which 280 victims died. It took place in areas near Yambuku. Sudan in 1979: This occurred in Nzara and Maridi with 34 cases and 22 deaths. Gabon in 1994: It took place in gold-mining camps in the rain forest in Mékouka. Cases reported were 52 and the number of deaths was 31. Zaire in 1995: It took place in Kikwit and its surrounding areas. 315 people got affected and 254 died. Gabon in 1976: The epidemic took place in Mayibout area and caused 21 deaths out of 37 cases. Gabon in 1996-1997: Occurred in Booué causing 45 deaths out of 60 cases. Uganda in 2000-2001: It occurred in the districts Gulu, Masindi, and Mbarara in Uganda. Cases reported were 425 and 224 deaths were caused. Gabon and Republic of the Congo in 2001-2002: Ebola stroke the border
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Medical Management and Countermeasures

As the treatment of Ebola has still not been found, there is no antiviral therapy for Ebola virus and no vaccine for Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever or Ebola, the disease has been declared as a potential threat by the U.S. department of Homeland Security. The supportive care provided by the hospitals to patients suffering from Ebola includes blood transfusion, fluid replacement, maintaining a steady blood pressure and treating other symptoms. The isolation of people who are suspected to have been infected by Ebola virus and those who are confirmed victims of the disease is a preventive measure to not let the disease spread. In fact, the suspected patients should be isolated separately from those patients who are confirmed victims. These quarantine measures are taken at the judgement of public health officials. A variety of tools and techniques are available with the healthcare providers to test for Ebola virus and for the diagnosis of EHF. Blood tests to detect the RNA of the virus or to d
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Severity of Ebola

The first outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease took place in 1976 first in Sudan, then in Zaire. The disease can be fatal in majority of the cases. It is a viral fever which can get extremely severe in humans and primates. The virus affected around 284 people when it took place for the first time and it took toll over the lives of 53% of its victims. The second time it affected around 318 people and had the highest mortality rate among the viral diseases. The mortality rate was 88% in Zaire. The cause of such deadly disease could not be found as researchers kept trying to find the origin of the virus. In 1989, the third strain of disease, the Ebola Reston (EBOR) was identified for the first time. Monkeys that were imported from Reston were found to be infected with Ebola virus. Till now, Ebola has caused about 4493 deaths and the count of its victims is as high as 8998, according to World Health Organization (WHO). WHO still believes that the numbers can be 2.5 times the numbers that
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Ebola virus Disease Progression

Ebola is a disease caused by the Ebola virus. Ebola virus belongs to the family Filoviridae . Filoviridae is the only virus family about which scientists know very less. Knowledge about the pathogenesis, the diseases caused by this virus family and the detailed virology is still very less. The recent epidemics have provided a considerable amount of understanding about the filoviruses. The first encounter of biomedical science with virus family Filoviridae took place in 1967 when Marburg virus appeared. Similar course of events were presaged by this virus for Ebola virus. On an average, the incubation period for Ebola Virus disease in humans lasts for 5-9 days though the overall incubation period of Ebola Virus disease in humans ranges from 2 to 21 days. There are three distinct phases in the course of the disease: Generalization phase, early organ phase, late organ phase or convalescence phase depending upon the result of the infection. Generalization phase : This phase begins wit
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First Encounter with Ebola Virus

In 1976, the international community was again alarmed as Ebola virus was discovered as the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Sudan. There were about 300 victims in each outbreak but since the areas in which the outbreak occurred were remote, the virus did not spread on a large extent. The first emergence of Ebola (Ebola Sudan) caused a mortality rate of 53% in its victims. In Sudan, 284 people got infected out of which 151 were killed by Ebola virus called by Sudan Virus or SUDV. The first case identified was of a shopkeeper in a cotton factory on 27 th June in Nzara. The second outbreak took place from Yambuku, Zaire on 26 August 1976 and had mortality rate as high as 88%, which is highest among all Ebola viruses. The causative agent of this outbreak was EBOV, then known as Zaire ebolavirus, which was a different species from that in outbreak in Sudan. The first person who was identified with EBOV in Zair
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Treatment and recovery from ebola

Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever or Ebola. The disease caused by the virus is often fatal. The virus gets spread by direct contact with bodily fluids or blood of an infected person or infected animal. The symptoms of the disease are not very clear and the disease initially feels like flu. The symptoms include stomach pain, muscle aches, vomit, diarrhea, unexplained bleeding or bruising and fatigue. As of now, there is no known medication or vaccine which is effective. The scientists are still in the early stages of understanding how the infection caused by Ebola virus can be treated. There are a number of experimental treatments that are being considered for use in cases of Ebola outbreaks. The experimental treatments are under clinical trials. As there is no cure for Ebola and research is still going on for finding one, the experimental treatment carried out by the doctors include a serum that is said to destroy the infected cell
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