Ebola virus simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This free online course on understanding the ebola virus focuses on the history, treatment and prevention of the illness. Ebola virus has caused the majority of human deaths from evd, and was the cause of the. The first cases of ebola virus disease were seen in 1976 in southern sudan and northern zaire, located 500 miles apart from eachother. Ebola, infectious disease caused by a virus of the family filoviridae that is responsible for a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals such as fruit bats, porcupines and nonhuman primates and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and. The index case in this outbreak has not yet been identified and epidemiologic investigations are ongoing, including laboratory testing. Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. In this study, 27 ebola virus strains with complete.
Timeline of key events, new cases, and cumulative ebola cases and deaths guinea. The terrifying true story of the origins of the ebola virus pdf epub book. But the ongoing west african outbreak is the largest ebola virus disease outbreak in the history, world health organization who reported a total of 28,599 cases observed and 11,289 deaths from. The virus is contracted from wild animals and spreads through transmission in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spreads in the human population through humantohuman transmission. Here, we propose a hypothesis of the evolutionary history of ebola virus which will be helpful. Pdf the natural history of ebola virus in africa jean. Transmission was centred in the four prefectures of forecariah n5, boke n5, conakry n1. It is on the list of worlds most virulent illnesses. Understanding the ebola virus course description alison.
Pdf the natural history of ebola virus in africa researchgate. In march 2014, an outbreak of evd was recognized in guinea which would become the most significant outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in africa to date. Once the more virulent forms enter the human population, transmission occurs primarily through contact with infected body fluids and can result in major epidemics in underresourced settings. Four species of ebolaviruses have been identified in west or equatorial africa. Ebola virus disease evd, one of the deadliest viral diseases, was. The 20142016 ebola outbreak in west africa began in a rural setting of southeastern guinea, spread to urban areas and across borders within weeks, and became a global epidemic within months. Ebola virus disease formerly referred to as ebola haemorrhagic fever is usually a severe, often fatal health issues, with a case fatality rate all the way to 90%. Zaire ebolavirus, more commonly known as ebola virus i.
Serious outbreaks of the ebola virus have occurred in west african countries, and infected individuals have also died in spain and america. Filoviruses have enveloped virions virus particles appearing as variably elongated filaments that are about 80 nm 1 nm 10. Ebola disease ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. Introduction for immediate information on how to help prevent the further spread of ebola and how keep yourself safe, please consult and share the ebola facts website. Rapid risk assessment outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, 12th update, 30 june 2015 3 guinea. The average ebola case fatality rate is around 50%. Pdf the natural history of ebola virus in africa jean gonzalez academia. The natural and human history of a deadly virus by david quammen ebola. Pdf several countries spanning the equatorial forest regions of africa have had outbreaks of ebola hemorrhagic fever over the last three decades. An increasing number of ebola outbreaks is seen in west africa. The terrible news that a manwho we now know was an american citizen on his way home to.
In this study, 27 ebola virus strains with complete glycoprotein genes, including five species zaire, sudan, reston, tai forest, bundibugyo, were analysed. Ebola in humans called ebola virus disease is actually a recent virus, with the first known outbreak occurring in africa in 1976. The outbreak started in guinea and rapidly spread to liberia and sierra leone, claiming thousands of lives. Ebola virus is infamous due to its reputation in hemorrhagic fever disease outbreaks in various countries of the world including.
In march 2014, the largest ebola outbreak in history exploded across west africa. A few months later, the second ebola virus emerged from. Because the deadly disease was discovered relatively recently, there is no cure or vaccine for ebola, and treatment options are limited. Over the past 40 years, sporadic ebola virus disease evd outbreaks have occurred mostly in the central african region. However, the evolutionary history of ebola virus remains unclear. History of ebola virus disease error processing ssi file. Ebola virus is infamous due to its reputation in hemorrhagic fever disease outbreaks in various countries of the world including west africa. Over the past 40 years, more than 20 outbreaks have occurred in africa, with most of the known outbreaks occurring in the past 20 years.
Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes fever, body ache, diarrhoea etc. Ebolaviruses are pathogenic agents associated with a severe, potentially fatal, systemic disease in man and great apes. Containing hemorrhagic fever epidemic, the ebola experience in uganda octob er 2000 january 2001. Learn more about the cause, symptoms, treatment, and transmission of ebola virus disease. Of these, two tested positive for ebola virus, zaire ebolavirus species, by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction rtpcr on 7 may 2018, and the outbreak was officially declared on 8 may 2018. Several countries spanning the equatorial forest regions of africa have had outbreaks of ebola hemorrhagic fever over the last three decades. Ebov, is one of six known species within the genus ebolavirus.
Since ebola virus was discovered in 1970s, the virus has persisted in africa and sporadic fatal outbreaks in humans and nonhuman primates have been reported. By the end of the decade, vaccine development begins. Ebola spotlight emerging infectious diseases journal cdc. I also tell the story of an unusual group of progres. In the week 14 to 21 june, 12 new confirmed cases were reported. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the ucla school of public health who specializes in the ebola virus.
History of ebola outbreaks since its discovery in 1976, the majority of cases and outbreaks of ebola virus disease have occurred in africa. The current west african outbreak of 2014 is the largest and most complex outbreak to date, sparking more cases and deaths than all the other outbreaks combined. Ebola, previously known as ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the ebola virus strains. It belongs to the family filoviridae and is responsible for a severe disease characterized by the sudden onset of hemorrhagic fever accompanied by other non specific signs and symptoms. This article is an overview of the many published investigations of how ebola virus circulates in its. Four of the six known ebolaviruses, including ebov, cause a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and other mammals, known as ebola virus disease evd. In humans, ebolaviruses cause fatality in 25 to 90 percent of cases.
This brief book is a product of sections of his 2012 book spillover and recent events. The first edition of the novel was published in december 1994, and was written by richard preston. This article is an overview of the many published investigations of how ebola virus circulates in its natural environment, focusing on the viral reservoir, susceptible animal species, environmental conditions favoring interspecies transmission, and how. Reston ebolavirus was first discovered in laboratories in reston, united states of america usa 5 ebola virus is responsible for viral hemorrhagic fevers like. Ebola virus disease evd, formerly known as ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. Lassa fever, yellow fever, marburg and dengue fever. Ebola virus disease is a severe illness that was first discovered in humans in 1976 in south sudan and the democratic republic of the congo, formerly zaire. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report. The natural history of ebola virus in africa sciencedirect. As of november 14, 2014, the world health organization has reported a total of 21,296 ebola virus disease evd.
Timeline of key events, new cases, and cumulative ebola cases and deaths west africa figure 2. In 1976, ebola named after the ebola river in zaire first emerged in sudan and zaire. What is ebola virus and history of ebola hemorrhagic. The virions are pleomorphic varying in shape and contain a helical nucleocapsid, which consists of a protein shell, or capsid, and. The first evidence of the existence of viruses came from experiments with filters that had pores small. Ebola virus, formally called zaire ebolavirus, is a rare virus that infects humans and nonhuman animals such as pigs and other primates. Ebola virus is one of the most virulent pathogens known to infect humans. Introduction to ebola disease world health organization. The history of virology the scientific study of viruses and the infections they cause began in the closing years of the 19th century. Ebola virus haemorrhagic fever viral diseases enivd. A few months later, the second ebola virus emerged from yambuku, zaire, ebolazaire eboz. The natural and human history of a deadly virus is a very interesting behindthescenes look at the quest to find the host animal carrying this devastating virus.
The toll of ebola in guinea, liberia, and sierra leone march 1, 2014april 30, 2016 figure 1. The first outbreak of ebola ebolasudan infected over 284 people, with a mortality rate of 53%. More cases occurred in zaire in 1977 and in sudan in 1979. Centers for disease control cdc to be a highly infectious disease, yet not particularly contagious. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 352 pages and is available in paperback format.
Although louis pasteur and edward jenner developed the first vaccines to protect against viral infections, they did not know that viruses existed. Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes fever, body aches, and diarrhea, and sometimes bleeding inside and outside the body as the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune. Emergence of ebola in humans, identifying a host, history of ebola. Ebola virus, hantavirus, sars, west nile virus, and human immunode. Filovirus, any virus belonging to the family filoviridae.
The virus was mostly dormant after the initial outbreaks however, in 1989, a subtype of the virus caused a scare in reston. The natural and human history of a deadly virus by. Hemorrhagic means that the victim will bleed a lot, inside and outside their body. Ebola virus disease or ebola hemorrhagic fever was first found to infect humans in 1976.
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