Ebola
First appearing in 1976, the Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, organs and infected people. At funerals, the deceased can also transmit the virus to mourners through direct contact with them. Its origin is unknown but bats are considered the likely host. Both humans and animals can catch the disease.
If contracted, Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. It is a highly contagious virus that can kill up to 90 percent of those who catch it, causing terror among infected communities.
Between spring 2014 and January 2016, 28,636 cases and 11,315 deaths (WHO) were recorded during the outbreak that struck West Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), still considered today the deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus.
Symptoms
Initially, there are no specific symptoms, making diagnosis difficult. The disease is often characterized by sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat. These symptoms are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, kidney and liver failure, and in some cases, internal and external bleeding.
Treatment
After nearly half a century without a specific treatment, it was only during the largest Ebola outbreak in 2014, when wealthier countries were faced with the threat of Ebola within their borders, that funding for research and development of treatments and vaccines for the virus increased dramatically. Two treatments were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020. There are also two vaccines, which in addition to treatment, are essential to preventing and responding to an Ebola outbreak. While an important addition to the Ebola response toolbox, these new medical tools only address Zaire ebolavirus, the most common virus species that caused the 2014 outbreak.
Unfortunately, these treatments remain largely inaccessible to people who need them during outbreaks.
Prevention of transmission is crucial. That is why patients are treated in Ebola Treatment Centres that apply strict prophylaxis procedures. In addition, priority must be given to identifying people with whom the patient was in contact while sick and to carrying out safe burials. Health promotion activities are being organised in the communities to raise awareness of the threat, how to protect oneself and what to do if symptoms appear.
