Ebola Virus and its Public Health Significance: A Review

Ebola virus disease is a severe, often - fatal, zoonotic viral disease in humans and Nonhuman primates (NHP) like monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees. Ebola is RNA virus that belongs to the family filoviridae, genus Ebola virus. The viruses (EBOV) are enveloped, non - segmented, negative - sense, single - stranded RNA viruses. Ebola virus disease (EVD) was first described in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1976. The exact origin, locations and natural reservoir of Ebola virus remain unclear. People can be exposed to Ebola virus from direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an in fected person. Hunting and butchering of wildlife (great apes and fruit bats) has been identified in previous outbreaks as a potential source of infection. The onset of Ebola virus disease is sudden and early symptoms includes; fever and headache, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. Patients in the final stage of disease die in the clinical picture of massive bleeding, severe dehydration, hypovolemic shock and multi - organ failure. Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed by detecting antigens with an antigen capture ELISA and by detecting viral RNA with Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT - PCR). No specific treatment has been demonstrated yet to be safe and effective for Ebola virus. Standard treatment currently consists of supportive therapy, i ncluding maintenance of blood volume and electrolyte balance, as well as standard nursing care. Prevention and control is mainly based on appropriate precautions to break ways of transmission. Despite the fact that no detection of the virus had been discov ered in Ethiopia so far, it is in medium risk country because of most people travelling from West Africa to South Africa travels via these countries. But, there is lack of updated information on Ebola virus and its zoonotic importance. All the necessary pr ecautions should be made to prevent the virus from entering the country and thus Ethiopian Airlines has been informing passengers on ways to reduce risking exposure and preventing the spread of the disease for those traveling to and from affected countries.

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Ebola Virus Disease – An Emergent Public Health Threat of th the Late 20 Century

NIGERIAN ANNALS OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES ◽

10.46912/napas.1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

I NS Dozie ◽

B EB Nwoke ◽

A N Amadi ◽

U M Chukwuocha ◽

W U Dozie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Immune Therapy ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Personal Hygiene ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Severe Bleeding ◽

Electrolyte Balance ◽

Viral Glycoprotein ◽

In The Wild

Ebola virus disease is one of the new emerged infectious diseases of the late 20 century. It is a severe, often fatal illness in humans marked by severe bleeding (haemorrhage), organ failure and with fatality rates of between 50% and 90%. Ebola virus is native to Africa and is previously characterized by outbreaks in isolated and remote communities in the rainforest. The 2014 Ebola outbreak is reported in four West African countries namely, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Ebola virus disease (EVD) is caused by members of the genus Ebolavirus with five (5) recognized species namely Zaire Ebolavirus, Sudan Ebolavirus, Ivory Coast Ebolavirus, Reston Ebolavirus, and Bundibugyo Ebolavirus, all of which belongs to the family, Filoviridae. The transmission of Ebola virus involve two major steps; firstly from suspected natural hosts or reservoir believed to be fruit bats to animals in the wild and secondly, from animals in the wild to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids (vomit, faeces, urine, breast milk, semen, and sweat) of infected persons. Although the clinical course of infection with an incubation period of between 2 to 21 days is well known, the specific mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of Ebola virus have not been clearly understood. Several lines of evidence suggest that the viral glycoprotein (GP) plays a key role in the manifestation of Ebola virus infection. EVD can be diagnosed in the laboratory by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antigen detection tests, serum neutralization tests and virus isolation by cell culture. Currently, there are no approved drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent Ebola. Treatment consists of supportive therapy to maintain electrolyte balance. However experimental vaccines and antiviral drugs are undergoing development and clinical trials. The potential treatment of Ebola Haemorrhagic fever patients with passive immune therapy (i.e. blood transfusion) from convalescent patients is being explored. Prevention of EVD consists of avoiding close contact with gravely ill patients, improvement of personal hygiene especially hand hygiene, strict barrier nursing techniques including the use of personal protective equipment and safe burial of the dead.

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Prediction of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) infestation trends across fruit bats migratory seasons

10.21203/rs.2.15472/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jean Pierre NAMAHORO ◽

Xiao Haijun

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Transmission Rate ◽

Central Africa ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Commodity Chain ◽

Fruit Bats ◽

Bivariate Correlation

Abstract Background : The majority of the rural populace of West and Central Africa participate actively in bushmeat commodity trade. The peak of this trade usually occurs during the migration of massive flocks of fruit bats. Unfortunately, this commercial period happens to coincides with the most conducive time for the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which is transmitted by these fruit bats. We, therefore, conducted this study to predict EVD infestation trend among individuals who might be vulnerable and/or infected (hunters, vendors, and consumers of bushmeat) as a result of this seasonal bats migration. Methods: A secondary data collected in Ghana and semi-structured questionnaires were administered to international students from 7 countries (Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Liberia, Zambia, Gabon, Guinea, and Ivory-Coast) and responses collated were used in this study. Bivariate correlation, probabilistic transmission rate of EVD, and probabilistic model (P-SIR) were employed to predict susceptible and infected individuals. Results : In all affected countries, it was observed that; there was a yearly bats’ migration pattern. 80 % of all interviewees confirmed that hunting, trading and consuming of bats influenced the rapid spread of EVD. The bivariate correlation between fruit bats and people involved in the bushmeat commodity chain was significant (p < 0.05) and the probability of infected bats were equally significant across the sampled countries. The estimated probabilistic rate was between 0.0099 and 0.01120, while individuals susceptible to EVD were predicted to be approximately between 5 and 45 (hunters), 0-18 f(vendors), and 25-90 (consumers). Conclusion : The migratory season of fruit bats contributes to EVD transmission in the most affected countries. People should avoid bushmeat consumption or eradicate all activities leading to the interaction with fruit bats to reduce the spread of EVD (Ebola) especially during the migratory seasons. Policy-makers and government agencies should also put in mechanisms that will protect their citizens during the fruit bats season. Keywords : bushmeat commodity chain, Ebola, migration season, EVD, fruit bats

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Emergence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): Key Facts

Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal ◽

10.3329/akmmcj.v6i1.24983 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 35-37

Author(s):

Md Mahfuzar Rahman ◽

Farnaz Mehrin ◽

Fahim Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Signs And Symptoms ◽

Hemorrhagic Fever ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Background Information ◽

Global Threat

The modern emerging infection Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is of global threat originates from Africa region. This is zoonotic and identified as human diseases or previously called Ebola hemorrhagic fever which is a highly fatal human illness where case fatality rate is found up to 90%. The virus transmission begins from wild animals to human and then spreads within population through human to human. Fruit bats are found as natural host of Ebola virus. There is no specific treatment or vaccine available in the market so far, intensive supportive care is needed for severely ill patients. This paper highlights background information, problem statement, viral characteristics, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, prevention & vaccination. It also indicates possible actions towards prevention of transmission & personal protection.Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 6, No. 1: January 2015, Pages 35-37

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COVID-19 Outbreak in Africa: Lessons and Insights from the West African Ebola Virus Disease Epidemics

International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health ◽

10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 96-99

Author(s):

Oluwafolajimi Adetoye Adesanya

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

African Continent ◽

Outbreak Response ◽

African Countries ◽

Response Strategies ◽

Past Experiences

Over the years, the African continent has had to battle several outbreaks of infectious diseases in different countries. Some of the most deadly were the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks that occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 affecting Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and, more recently, from 2018 to 2020 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that as a continent, we draw lessons and insights from our past experiences to guide outbreak response strategies being deployed to curb the latest onslaught. The Ebola outbreaks have shown that disease outbreaks should not be seen only as medical emergencies, but as full blown humanitarian crises, because oftentimes, their socio-economic impacts are more devastating than the more obvious cost to life. In this mini-review, we explore the possible humanitarian costs of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent by looking through the lens of our past experiences with the EVD outbreaks, highlighting how the current pandemic could significantly affect the African economy, food security, and vulnerable demographics, like children and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls. We then proffer recommendations that could be instrumental in preventing a double tragedy involving the devastating health consequences of the virus itself and the deadly fallout from its multi-sectoral knock-on effects in African countries. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Ebola Virus Disease, Coronavirus.

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Ebola virus disease: epidemiology, clinical feature and the way forward

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20171744 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 1372 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lawan Gana Balami ◽

Suriani Ismail ◽

Saliluddin S. M. ◽

Garba S. H.

Keyword(s):

Ebola Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Hypovolemic Shock ◽

Multiple Organ ◽

Ebola Virus Disease ◽

Clinical Feature ◽

Human Pathogens ◽

Disease Epidemiology ◽

Global Threat ◽

The Way

The Ebola virus disease is a zoonotic, acute viral syndrome which occurs by infection with one the strains of the Ebola virus. It is primarily endemic in Africa however the recent outbreak in the year 2014 spanned from West Africa all the way to Europe and America. This shows the virus possess a global threat and should not be considered localized to only certain parts of the world. The social and economic impact of zoonotic diseases today is high as 80% of human pathogens are of zoonotic origin. Human to human transmission happens when there is contact with bodily fluids of infected humans during the infectious phase of the disease. This spread could be through nosocomial means or community spread. Poor knowledge of the syndrome among health care workers coupled with lack of funding and deficient resources has crippled their ability to diagnose and break the chain of transmission of the disease at its early stages. The virus undergoes pathogenesis by immune evasion, immune suppression, coagulopathy, and hypovolemic shock, multiple organ failure and death in up to 90% of cases. The unavailability of a cure or vaccine for this syndrome makes it a recurrent threat due to high risk behavior practiced in endemic countries such as bush meat consumption. Thus this study gives the reader a review of current literature on this deadly disease with the aim of increasing knowledge and aiding its prevention and control.

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