Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness in humans that causes hemorrhagic fever. It has a high fatality rate of up to 90% and outbreaks primarily occur in remote villages in Central and West Africa. The virus is transmitted through contact with blood and bodily fluids of infected humans or animals like fruit bats. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting and bleeding. While there is no approved vaccine or treatment, supportive care such as fluid balance and oxygen can help treatment. Prevention relies on avoiding contact with infected areas, people, animals and remains.
2. What is Ebola
Key facts
• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola
haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) handout photo of the Ebola virus
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• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the
human population through human-to-human transmission.
• EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West
Africa, near tropical rainforests.
6. Ebola is not an airborne virus transmittable between humans, at present.
(However in 2012 the deadliest form of the virus was transmitted by air
between pigs and monkeys that had had no direct contact).
Ebola can be spread from animals to humans by contact with the blood, secretions,
organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals, such as monkeys and fruit
bats.
Fruit bats (and maybe pigs) are believed to be asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Human-to-human transmission is through broken skin or mucous
membranes coming into contact with the blood, secretions, organs or
other bodily fluids of infected people, and in direct contact with
environments contaminated with such fluids.
Virus can be destroyed by soap, bleach, exposure to sunlight or drying. A washing
machine will kill the virus on clothing saturated with infected body fluids.
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7. Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of EVD typically include:
•Fever
•Headache
•Joint and muscle pains
•Weakness
•Diarrhea
•Vomiting
•Stomach pain
•Lack of appetite
8. Some patients may experience:
•A Rash
•Red Eyes
•Cough
•Sore throat
•Chest pain
•Difficulty breathing
•Difficulty swallowing
•Bleeding inside and outside of the body
10. Diagnosis
1. Patient with symptoms described above
with
2. A history of travelling to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra
Leone within 21 days
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- Viruses are isolated from
Blood by cell culture on
Vero cells ( Vero –E 6 )
- ELISA for antigen
detection
- ELISA for IgM
- RT – PCR
11. Treatment
Standard treatment for Ebola HF is still limited to supportive
therapy:
* Balancing the patient’s fluids and electrolytes
* Maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure
* Treating them for any complicating infections
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• Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care.
• No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use
in people or animals.
12. Survivors of Ebola may remain contagious for months after they have
recovered from the virus.
Men have been found to still have the virus in their semen at least 61 days
after recovering from Ebola. Anyone who has suffered from Ebola and
survived should be tested a few months afterwards for either antibodies
to the virus, the viral DNA or the virus itself.
The bodies of the deceased also remain infectious for a significant period
and have to be disposed of very carefully in sterile conditions.
Ebola is a World Health Organisation Risk Group 4 pathogen
requiring strict containment.
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13. Prevention
Prevention focuses on avoiding contact with the viruses. The
following precautions can help prevent infection and spread
of Ebola
•Avoid areas of known outbreaks.
•Wash your hands frequently. As with other infectious diseases,
one of the most important preventive measures is frequent hand-
washing. Use soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand rubs
containing at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren't
available.
•Avoid wildlife /bush meat. In developing countries, avoid
buying or eating the wild animals, including nonhuman primates,
sold in local markets.
14. •Avoid contact with infected people. In particular, caregivers
should avoid contact with the person's body fluids and tissues,
including blood, semen, vaginal secretions and saliva.
People with Ebola are most contagious in the later stages of the
disease.
•Follow infection-control procedures. If you're a health care
worker, wear protective clothing, such as gloves, masks, gowns and
eye shields. Keep infected people isolated from others. Dispose of
needles and sterilize other instruments.
•Don't handle remains. The bodies of people who have died of
Ebola disease are still contagious. Specially organized and trained
teams should bury the remains, using appropriate safety equipment.
16. Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol
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Liberia
Dr Kent Brantly - 22july
Nancy Writebol - 25july
They received experimental
treatment “Zmapp” made
from infected mouse.
After improving condition
they were transferred to
USA, Emory University
Hospital in Atlanta
18. Bioterrorism
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.
