Certainly by
now, many of you are probably aware of the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak occurring
in western Africa. Due to the severity
and highly infectious nature of this particular strain of the virus in
combination with other factors including the culture of the native peoples and
poor economics, the diagnosis, treatment, and overall control of this current
outbreak are proving to be extremely difficult.
I thought for this post I would share some information about Ebola including
what type of methods are utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of this
disease.
Ebola is a
virus that, along with other closely related pathogens, causes viral hemorrhagic
fever; which can be described as uncontrolled bleeding that when combined with
vomiting and diarrhea, leads to extreme dehydration and anemia.1 Symptoms of this disease range from less
obvious, nonspecific signs including nausea, fever, and rash to more severe manifestations
such as bleeding both internally and externally.1 Ultimately, the extreme dehydration and low
blood pressure brought on by these more severe symptoms are what typically result
in the high mortality rate of this disease.1
Diagnosis of
the Ebola virus can be problematic, which aids in the spread of the
disease. Usually, other pathogens that
cause similar symptoms are suspected which impedes and compromises the proper
isolation and treatment of infected individuals, and also allows for others to become
infected due to exposure to body fluids containing the pathogen, thus spreading
the disease exponentially.1
Typically, only in situations where the virus is suspected are the
proper precautions and confirmation tests conducted in an adequate amount of
time.1 These include tests
which detect antibodies developed by the patient in response to the virus,
tests which look for antigens associated with the virus, molecular testing
which identifies known nucleic acid sequences that are present in the pathogen,
and viral isolation.1
Treatment of
the Ebola virus is currently limited to treating the side effects of the virus
through fluids and blood transfusions in order to restore the patient’s
electrolyte levels and blood pressure until the virus has ran its course.1
Hopefully in
the near future a more efficient treatment method or vaccine may be developed
to aid in these ongoing outbreaks, which seem to pop up every few years and devastate
many people.
For further
information about this disease as well as up to date news about the current
outbreak, check out the CDC website. I
have provided a link below in the works cited section for those of you who are
interested.
Works Cited
1.
"Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever." Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, July 29, 2014. Web. August 1,
2014.
Main Article Link: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html
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