Ebola Virus Disease

In Context

• An outbreak of Ebola has been declared in Uganda following the confirmation of a relatively rare Sudan strain case.

Ebola Virus Disease

• About:
  • Formerly known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. The first cases were recorded in Guinea in December 2013. Later, the disease spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
  • Three of its six strains — Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaire — have historically been responsible for major outbreaks. 
• Spread:
  • It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts.
  • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads through human-to-human transmission (through broken skin or mucous membranes).
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms of EVD can be sudden and include:
    • Fever
    • Fatigue
    • Muscle pain
    • Headache
    • Sore throat
  • This is followed by:
    • Vomiting
    • Diarrhoea
    • Rash
• Diagnosis:
  • It can be difficult to clinically distinguish EVD from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis. Many symptoms of pregnancy and Ebola disease are also quite similar. Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are made using the following diagnostic methods:
    • antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
    • reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay
• Treatment:
  • The Ervebo vaccine has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the species Zaire ebolavirus
  • Two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) were approved for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus (Ebolavirus) infection in adults
  • Remdesivir was also tested as an Ebola treatment.

Source: ET