The Ebola Virus Essay

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The Ebola Virus Erfan Shekarriz- 10 Oasis
Ebola virus disease (EVD), Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), or simply Ebola is a disease of humans and other primate’s caused by a rare but deadly pathogen named The Ebola virus which is named after a river in DR Congo. This virus may be obtained and transmitted by getting in contact with blood or body fluids of the infected animal (Ebola Virus: Symptoms ONLINE] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ebola-fever-virus-infection September 17.). This disease was first discovered in 1976 in DR Congo and Sudan. In the year 2014 the largest Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa effecting countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and many other countries located in West Africa. The total cases count of this virus has been 6263 people, but only 3487 have been confirmed in the laboratory, and 2917 of them has led to deaths. (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC. 2014. Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/. [Accessed 18
September 2014) Fruit bats are believed to be a carrier of this virus. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Eventually it causes the level of thrombocytes or the blood platelets, which help the blood clotting process to drop in the amount. This leads to serious, uncontrollable bleeding, fever, sore throat, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhea. (Ebola Virus: Symptoms ONLINE] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ebola-fever-virus-infection September 17.)

No FDA-approved vaccine or medicine (e.g., antiviral drug) is available for Ebola. The scientist and the governments have been working on using science to find a cure and information on the Ebola virus. There has been lots of technological advancement for the Ebola virus. Scientists have been using high power atomic microscopes so that they can see the virus and the shape of it, hoping that they could find a cure. In the laboratories that have been made in the African countries that are infected by the Ebola virus are used to examine the blood of the patients and check the other symptoms. This use of technology has led to the knowledge of the type of transition, which is by exchanging any type of body fluids. (Ebola Crisis. 2014. Ebola Crisis. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/disaster/ebola-crisis/. [Accessed 18 October 2014].)
Currently there have been no medicines, vaccines or cures for the Ebola virus due to the new outbreak and the lack of information on it. It has been reported that 25 scientist have been announced dead because of an accident in the laboratories due to the Ebola virus (CIDRAP. 2014. CIDRAP. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ July 2014) this has also created a fear of the scientist that results to less research on the cases, which is one of the reasons that there are no cures but you can treat the symptoms of Ebola. These basic inventions, when used in the early stages of Ebola, can significantly improve the chances of survival: (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/treatment/. [Accessed 18 October 2014]

Providing intravenous fluids and balancing the body salts (electrolytes)
Sustaining oxygen status and blood pressure
Treating the infection in case of occurrence using FDA-approved vaccine

The governments have taken a huge step into preventing the social community to find ways to prevent the Ebola virus from spreading. The Ebola virus can be transmitted through the change of any body fluids so there are some instructions and rules that can prevent the virus from spreading. Avoiding direct contact with blood, saliva, vomit and other body fluids are very crucial. Since the Ebola virus can be sexually transmitted the governments have recommended using protection during sexual encounter. This will stop the pathogen from spreading in a faster pace. As the UN has announced the Ebola virus as a major