A 54 year old anthropologist who had recently traveled to the Central African Republic was admitted to Donostia Hospital for Ebola symptoms. It has not yet been confirmed that she is infected with the virus, but since the serious condition she suffers is compatible with this pathology, all necessary protocols have been activated to prevent the spread of the disease in the Basque Country.
At the moment, there should be no panic, as this is an isolated case. And while the fact that there will only be a handful of cases may seem like a nightmare from the past, the truth is that a case of Ebola has only been detected in Spain once, and protocols They helped me stay alone in this.
Ebola, unlike the cause of COVID-19, is characterized by very deadly virus, but not very contagious. Also, it’s the very fact that it’s so deadly that makes it very inept at spreading. Patients feel so bad that they do not interact with other people, so it is not so easy for them to get infected.
For this reason, even in Africa, where it is endemic, most outbreaks in history have been associated with a few dozen or at most a few hundred cases. There was only one, much more from 2014 to 2016when 28,616 people from 10 different countries became infected, including a Spanish nurse Teresa Romero. However, it does not hurt to know the disease, how it is transmitted and what are the ways to treat it, if any. This is the most important thing we need to know about the Ebola virus.
What is the ebola virus?
Actually, Ebola is a genus that includes several viruses from the family filoviruses. It is named after the Ebola River, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the first cases of the disease were identified. in 1976.
Since then, at least five Ebola virus species have been found to infect humans and non-human primates: Bundibujo (BDBV), Zaire (ZEBOV), Sudan (SUDV), Reston (RESTV) and Forest Tai (TAFV). The first three are those that affect humans, with Sudan and Zaire responsible for most of the outbreaks.
What are your symptoms?
Ebola virus symptoms usually begin suddenly, with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. In this phase, it can be confused with other diseases, but then other, more specific symptoms begin to appear, such as vomiting, diarrhea, rash, internal and external bleeding. That is why it is considered hemorrhagic fever.
These symptoms may appear 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. On the positive side, a person is contagious only when they have symptoms.
How does the Ebola virus spread?
Speaking of the spread of the Ebola virus, we must refer to two types. which is produced zoonosisfrom animal to man, and the one that takes place between people.
It is not entirely clear who is the main host of the Ebola virus among animals, although it is thought that they may be fruit bats. Contact with the organs, blood, or other secretions of this and other animals, such as monkeys or porcupines, can cause a transition to humans.
Later they can infect each other in the same way, through direct contact with fluids or mucous membranes of the patient, as well as with clothing and objects that came into contact with them. We have already seen that a person can be contagious from the moment symptoms appear, but can be contagious after death. For this reason, precautions need to be taken not only in the family and in the hospital. Also during the funeral.
These measures should be to use elements of individual protection which act as a barrier to avoid contact with fluids and mucous membranes of patients or deceased.
How to cure it?
There is no cure for the Ebola virus.. As with other viruses, more or less serious, it heals on its own. It has a very high mortality rate, but some people can survive without any treatment. Of course, once they do, they may continue to have symptoms such as headache and muscle pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, vision or hearing problemsamong others.
These symptoms already appear without the virus in the body, so these people are no longer contagious.
As for the Ebola vaccine, some of them are already under study, but there is still no definitive vaccine. Yes, some patients were treated blood plasma from people who have been curedso that antibodies enhance the role of your own immune system. It has given good results in some patients, but it cannot be considered a cure or a vaccine.
We’ll have to wait to find out what’s going on with the Basque patient, but it’s all good to know. After all, we should not be interested in the disease only when it touches us closely.
Source: Hiper Textual
