The Ebola virus

Ebola is a contagious disease caused by the Ebola virus. It is also known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, which is acute and severe, and can be fatal in between 50% and 90% of cases. It is an infection caused by the virus of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus. It was first detected in a village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the Ebola River in 1976. The origin of the current outbreak is not known, something that has already happened in all previous cases, but the virus is suspected to originate from a only human who came into contact with an infected animal. Furthermore, three species of fruit bats are suspected of being natural hosts for this virus.

How the Ebola Virus Is Spread

As the World Health Organization (WHO) warns, Ebola enters humans through close contact with organs, blood, secretions or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, cases of infection associated with the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, antelopes and porcupines that had been found dead or sick in the jungle have been documented.

For the transmission of ebola virus Direct contact is required through wounds or mucous membranes, the eyes, nose or mouth, with the blood or body fluids of an infected person with symptoms of the disease. Asymptomatic individuals do not transmit the disease.

It is also transmitted by indirect contact with people who have died from the disease or by exposure to objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions (needles, syringes, clothing, etc.). If there has been contagion, the incubation period is from 2 to 21 days (period in which symptoms may appear) and if the disease is contracted, it is very serious and has a lethality of 50-90%.

Ebola is not spread by air, water, or food in general. There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects can transmit the Ebola virus. The Ebola virus is not considered easily transmitted.

When an outbreak occurs, health personnel are often the most susceptible to contagion, especially because they do not adopt all the precautions (gloves, masks or protective glasses) or do not establish adequate procedures to isolate the sick. Something that is difficult at first since the earliest symptoms, such as fever, are not specific to Ebola, but occur frequently in many other diseases.

It is estimated that in African countries the spread of the virus is faster, due to funeral customs where there is contact with the body of the deceased.

That is why in western countries, where culture affects more aseptic funeral practices and stricter hygienic practices (the virus is inactivated with ultraviolet and gamma radiation, heating for 60 minutes at 60ºC or boiling for 5 minutes. sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and disinfectants), the probability of an epidemic occurring once the outbreak is isolated is considered minimal.

Symptoms

The infection causes symptoms that can appear between 2 and 21 days after infection. The infection is usually characterized by:

• Sudden onset of fever
• Intense weakness
• muscle pains
• Intense headache
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Rashes
• Kidney and liver dysfunction
• And in some cases, internal and external bleeding.

Ebola virus diagnosis

The diagnosis of Ebola in a person who has been infected a few days ago is difficult, because the first symptoms, such as fever, are not specific to this infection.

If a person has the early symptoms of Ebola and has had contact with the blood or body fluids of a sick person, contact with objects that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids, or contact with infected animals, they should be isolated and reported the case to public health professionals.

From the WHO they explain that the definitive diagnosis can only be made through different:

• Enzyme immunoadsorption test (ELISA)
• Antigen detection tests;
• Seroneutralization test;
• Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR);
• Isolation of the virus by cell culture.

Prevention

Although several are being tested, no effective Ebola vaccine is available today. Therefore, the only way to reduce the risk of infection is to avoid contact with blood or body fluids that may be infected. Therefore, careful hygiene is essential. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids. As well as not handling items that may have had contact with the blood of an infected person or other bodily fluids (for example, clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).

In addition, once a case of Ebola is detected, the protocol of adequate control measures must be implemented to control the infection. The measures to be carried out are:

• Isolate Ebola patients from contact with unprotected people.
• Use protective clothing (gloves, masks, suits ...) to care for the sick.
• Bury deceased patients safely and quickly. The WHO is already regularizing the way of burying them.

In addition, the affected countries are monitoring passenger traffic at airports, have closed some border crossings, and have quarantined the affected areas, with the aim of limiting human trafficking to stop the expansion.

In case of having to travel to the affected countries, the preventive measures recommended by the WHO and other organizations are the following:

• Pay attention to the symptoms.
• Avoid contact with affected and other people's body fluids.
• Avoid sexual relations with strangers or risky personnel. In this way it is transmitted up to 3 months after the cure of the disease.
• Do not touch animals and avoid eating meat of unknown origin.
• Wash your hands frequently with disinfectants.
• Disinfect food that is to be eaten raw.
• Drink bottled or boiled water.
• Try to avoid the use of local health centers.
• Minimize the use of public toilets.
• Inform the health authorities of your country of origin in advance.
• Inform the consulate upon arrival in the country.
• When you return from the trip, if you think you have symptoms of the disease, go immediately to your health center, informing about the area visited.

It is advised not to travel, if not necessary, to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. They are countries with a high level of insecurity, to which must be added the current health situation with the Ebola epidemic.

Ebola virus treatment

Severe cases require intensive care. Patients are often dehydrated, requiring intravenous or oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes. They are also monitored to keep the oxygen level and blood pressure at the proper levels and other infections that may occur are treated.

• It is a contagious disease, which is transmitted between people who maintain close contact, through contaminated human fluids (blood, saliva, etc.) through the eyes, nose, mouth or wounds.
• Fever, intense weakness, muscle aches, headaches, vomiting ... are some of the frequent symptoms, which can appear between 2 and 21 days after infection.
• For now, there is no effective vaccine or any specific treatment.

There is also no specific treatment for ebola virus, although new experimental pharmacological treatments are being evaluated.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information or consultation on the disease, you can go to the WHO portals and health agencies.