Ebola is all over the news and seems to be a prominent topic in the discussions being held between families and students. But even with all of the headlines and alarming cases, I feel like no one is really being educated on what the disease is, and if we should be as alarmed as the media is trying to make us.
So, to ease the mind of my fellow students and myself, I did some research on the disease, and decided to share my findings. There is nothing better than being informed about current events and topics of concern in the world. So let’s get started!
Where did Ebola originate?:
The first outbreaks of the disease happened simultaneously in 1976 in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The next outbreak occured near the Ebola River, which is where the name comes from. The current outbreak is the largest since the origination of the disease.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines have been known to carry the disease, and close contact to infected species maybe have caused the first transmission to humans.
What is Ebola?:
Ebola is also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a rare and deadly infection if not treated immediately. It often affects humans and nonhuman primates.
It is a virus of the Filovirade family. There are five strains of the virus, four of which are known to affect humans.
What does it do to the human body?:
Even with the countless articles being published, I found that very few even mentioned what the disease itself actually does to the human body.
The virus immediately attacks the first line of immune defense, the dendritic cells. This allows the virus to replicate. Once the virus enters the blood, another type of defense cell, macrophages, eat the virus, which is then used as a host for the virus to replicate. The macrophage infection releases proteins that trigger clotting in the blood vessels, and other proteins that damage the lining of the blood vessels. Clotting causes a reduced blood supply to the organs, and damage to the organs’ linings can cause leakage.
If untreated, these can lead to organ failure and low blood pressure.
Symptoms:
The leaking of blood (hemorrhaging) results in bleeding from orifices, and is one of the main signs of the infection. Other indicators of the disease are fever, muscle pain, and headaches, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, a rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding.
Prevention:
If you are worried about contracting the disease, I would recommend keeping a long distance from the blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of chimps, gorillas, fruit bats, forest antelope, porcupines, and humans infected by the disease.
Overview:
As long as we do not from travelling to highly-infected countries, I do not see this disease as an overwhelming detriment to the health of our country. Despite the devastating effects of the disease, its spread in the United States can be curbed if the citizens take precautions to protect themselves.
Keep Calm and Carry On, Collegiettes
xo