What is Ebola Virus:
According to the WHO report, the Ebola virus is a deadly disease, formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. What’s more shocking is it’s a rare disease but severe at the same time. The illness this virus causes to the human body is acute and fatal they are difficult to cure as it damages the immune system and organs of the infected person.
History of Ebola virus-
This virus first appeared in the year 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. It caused double concurrent outbreaks of fatal hemorrhagic fever which occurred in different parts of Central Africa. And took the life of many. One of them is what is now Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, DRC. And later occurred in the village near the ebola river and as we can get the hint, where this name Ebola came from.
Since its birth in 1976, the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak. Causing the majority of cases and outbreaks in the West Africa region. The outbreak began in a rural setting of southeastern Guinea, spread to urban areas and across borders within just a few weeks, and became a global epidemic within months.
The Ebola virus is known to be a member of the Filoviridae family so named after their filamentous shape. Filoviridae virus includes three generations: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and Ebola virus. Within the genus Ebolavirus, six species have been successfully identified: Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus), Bundibugyo(species Bundibugyo ebolavirus ), Sudan(Species Sudan ebolavirus), Taï Forest(Species Tai’ ebolavirus), Reston((species Reston ebolavirus) and Bombali(species Bombali ebolavirus).
Transmission of Ebola virus:
This virus spreads from one person to another when they come in contact with :
* through broken skin or mucous membranes.
*blood or the body fluid of a sick person.
* Through a human body, died with Ebola.
*objects that have been contaminated with body fluids.
The Ebola virus arrived in Nigeria on July 20, 2014. Nigerian’s experienced an outbreak of EVD(Ebola virus disease) when an infected passenger arrived in Nigeria and caused the outbreak in Lagos and then in port Harcourt with the arrival of an infected air traveler(by a Liberian diplomat) who arrived via Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos.
Symptoms of Ebola –
The Primary symptoms of ebola virus include –
- Fever
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Abdominal pain
- Stomach pain.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Diarrhea and vomiting.
And apart from all these symptoms of ebola virus, we mentioned above later a patient can also experience internal bleeding with some coughing blood.
Cure for Ebola virus-
In order to cure, this virus treatment centers and alot of isolation zones were set up just to reduce the spread of the virus. They used different methods to avoid this virus via- face- masks, gowns, and gloves were used. They also started the practice to limit transmission of the virus, by doing a screening of passengers at international and domestic ports and airports.
But we have good news here- The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Ebola vaccine on December 19, 2019. This is the first FDA- approved vaccine for Ebola.
Current status of Ebola virus-
At last, the outbreak was started to get in control, because of the consistent efforts of the health care staff of the Ebola emergency center, the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, and Nigeria’s quick responses to this outbreak. Nigeria’s Positive role in controlling the deadly outbreak was also acknowledged by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Abuja 20 October 2014- Nigeria was officially declared EBola- Free after no new active cases were reported in the follow-up contacts: 42 days after the last confirmed case of the ebola virus was discharged from the hospital, and giving sufficient confidence to the WHO organization to declare the outbreak as completely over. Stating it was a “spectacular success story”.
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