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Ebola Virus. Hemorrhagic Fever. Outbreaks. 1976- First Major Outbreak (ZEBOV) 1976- Sudan (SEBOV) Occur Sporadically www.cdc.gov for more information. Where does Ebola hide?. 2002- Fruit Bats Antibodies against Ebola Ebola Gene sequences in liver and spleen
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Ebola Virus Hemorrhagic Fever
Outbreaks • 1976- First Major Outbreak (ZEBOV) • 1976- Sudan (SEBOV) • Occur Sporadically • www.cdc.gov for more information
Where does Ebola hide? • 2002- Fruit Bats • Antibodies against Ebola • Ebola Gene sequences in liver and spleen • Fruit bats do not show any symptoms • Best candidate to be the reservoir • More research needs to be done
Geography • The link between human infection by the Ebola virus and their proximity to primates is clear. -Outbreaks occurred in countries that house 80 percent of the world’s remaining wild gorilla and chimpanzee populations. - The outbreaks coincided with the outbreaks in wild animals. - The same distinct viral strains were isolated in animal carcasses and in the bodies of those who handled those carcasses. - These outbreaks were preceded by an abnormally large death in wild Gorilla populations.
Clinical Observations • Incubation period: 2-21 days • Stage I (unspecific): -Extreme asthenia (body weakness) -diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, anorexia abdominal pain - headaches - arthralgia (neuralgic pain in joints) - myalgia (muscular pain or tenderness), back pain - mucosal redness of the oral cavity, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) - conjunctivitis. - rash all over body except in face ** If the patients don’t recover gradually at this point, there is a high probability that the disease will progress to the second phase, resulting in complications which eventually lead to death (Mupapa et al., 1999).
Stage II (Specific): - Hemorrhage - neuropsychiatric abnormalities - anuria (the absence of urine formation) - hiccups - tachypnea (rapid breathing). ** Patients who progressed to phase two EHF almost always die. (Ndambi et al., 1999) • Late Complications: -Arthralgia - ocular diseases (ocular pain, photophobia and hyperlacrimation) - hearing loss - unilateral orchitis( inflammation of one or both of the testes) ** These conditions are usually relieved with the treatment of 1% atropine and steroids
Epidemiology • Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever was first found in 1976 • It struck two countries within that year • a. Sudan – in a town called N’zara • b. Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo • In these two instances the mortality rate was between 50 –90% • Following those epidemics, Ebola hit Africa in many other instances the worst yet being in the year 2000 when it struck Uganda infecting more than 400 people.
Transmission • contracted through contact of any infected individual’s body fluids Ebola HF prevention poster used in Kikwit outbreak.
Controlling the spread of Ebola • a. Hospitals must follow precautionary methods, such as: 1. wearing gloves 2. isolating infected individuals 3. practicing nurse barrier techniques 4. proper sterilization and disposal of all equipment • b. Burials must be done correctly 1. no washing or touching carcass 2. put into body bags and bury outside city • c. Report any questionable illness to officials
Ebola Subtypes • Ebola-Zaire (ZEBOV) • Ebola-Sudan (SEBOV) • Ebola Ivory-Coast (ICEBOV) • Ebola-Reston (REBOV)
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE • Characterization of the virus • Order: Mononegavirales • Family: Filoviridae • Genus: Ebolavirus • Species: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Cote d-Ivoire, Ebola-Reston • Morphology under electron microscope • filamentous, enveloped RNA virus • approx. 19 kb in length (1 kb = 1000 RNA bases/nucleotides) or 60-80 nm in diameter • single-stranded, linear, non-segmented • negative-sense RNA (encoded in a 3’ to 5’ direction) • appears to have “spikes” due to glycoprotein on outside membrane
Structure of Ebola genome and proteins • Transcribed into 8 sub-genomic mRNA proteins: 7 structural and 1 nonstructural • 7 structural proteins: • nucleoprotein (NP) • 4 viral/virion proteins (VP35, VP40, VP30, VP24) • glycoprotein (GP) • RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein) • NP, VP35, VP30, L protein: required for transcription & replication • VP40, GP, VP24: associated with the membrane
Ethics • Biogeograophical Ethics is defined as motivation based on ideas of right and wrong when dealing with the geographical distribution of animals and plants. • This concept of can be used to explain the world’s shockingly small response to the Ebola Virus. • Because there was little travel to that region by people of more developed countries, there was not much economic drive for a vaccine, treatment, and aid in prevention.
Bioterrorism • Since the September 11 bombings in the United States, the locality of this virus has become less isolated as the threat of bioterrorism looms large. • The Ebola virus is now on the “A” list for hopeful vaccination development. • Experiments have even been formed to show how Ebola can be used as a bioterror agent.