What is Ebola?
22-03-2024
10:49 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Scientists recently found a new way in which Ebola reproduces in the human body, identifying a potential target for drugs to prevent the viral disease.
About Ebola
- Ebola virus disease (EVD, or Ebola) is a rare but severe illness in humans.
- It is caused by several species of viruses from the genus Ebolavirus, that are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
- It gets its name from the Ebola River, which is near one of the villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the disease first appeared.
- Transmission:
- Ebola isn’t as contagious as more common viruses like colds, influenza, or measles.
- It spreads to people by contact with the skin or bodily fluids of an infected animal, like a monkey, chimp, or fruit bat.
- Then it moves from person to person in the same way.
- Those who care for a sick person or bury someone who has died from the disease often get it.
- You can’t get Ebola from air, water, or food. A person who has Ebola but has no symptoms can’t spread the disease, either.
- There are occasional Ebola disease outbreaks in people, occurring primarily on the African continent.
- Symptoms:
- Symptoms of Ebola can start two to 21 days after being infected by the virus.
- Symptoms start out flu-like but can progress to severe vomiting, bleeding, and neurological (brain and nerve) issues.
- Treatment:
- There is no known treatment for Ebola, although experimental vaccines and therapeutics are being tested.
- Recovery seems to depend in part on how much virus a person was initially exposed to, how early treatment is started, and the patient's age and immune response.
- Current therapy consists of maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance and the administration of blood and plasma to control bleeding.
- Mortality:
- Mortality rates for EVD range from 25 percent to 90 percent, with an average of 50 percent.
- Death usually occurs as a result of shock due to fluid loss rather than blood loss.
Q1) What is a Virus?
A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism. Well-known examples of viruses causing human disease include AIDS, COVID-19, measles and smallpox.
Source: Scientists find potential new drug target to prevent Ebola