Download Ebola is a virus that greatly effects not only the human population in

"By what route, and under circumstances, does
the virus pass from its reservoir into other
animals?"
Conclusions:
Ebola Virus Disease is particularly devastating to the human
population because there is no current vaccine
available for clinical use. There is also no specific
treatment for EVD, only oral rehydration for patients
suffering from dehydration, which is why the fatality
rate in humans is 90%.
What is Ebola?
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Ebola is an infectious, fatal disease marked
by fever and severe internal bleeding,
spread through contact with infected body
fluids by a filovirus.
Ebola outbreaks have been observed in
chimpanzees and gorillas. It first appeared in
1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara,
Sudan, and in Yambuku, Republic of Congo.
The latter was in a village situated near the
Ebola River
. The CNS or central nervous system is affected by
headaches, agitation, confusion, depression,
fatigue, and seizures, and sometimes a
coma can occur. When the infection attacks,
it causes damage to the skin. Small white
blisters will develop in the skin, along with
red spots referred to as "maculopapular
rash", usually around needle injection sites.
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Cause and Effects:
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Ebola is introduced into the human
population through contact with the blood,
secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of
infected animals and iis then passed on as
humans come more and more in contact
with each other. Symptoms of the Ebola
virus show up 2 to 21 days after someone is
infected. As the virus spreads through the
body's cells, it damages the immune
system and organs. Ultimately, Ebola
causes levels of blood-clotting cells, called
platelets, to fall, which can lead to severe
bleeding. Many of the early symptoms of
Ebola look like the flu or other mild
illnesses. They such as fever ,headache
,muscle aches ,sore throat , weakness and
,diarrhea. As the disease gets worse,
people who are infected may develop things
such as bleeding inside and outside of the
body, rash , and may have trouble
breathing. Also Ebola may be caused by
any of four out of five ebola viruses. These
viruses are the following: Bundibugyo virus,
ebola virus, sudan virus, and tai forest virus.
Transmission of the virus is not limited to
direct contact with blood or bodily fluids
from an infected person it can get
transmitted through dead people, or by
contact with contaminated medical
equipment
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Currently, the best treatment for Ebola involves
providing fluid to the patient to replace the bleeding
that occurs from all orifices as the hemorrhagic
fever destroys the body from within. Ebola is
common in third world countries, especially
Africa,because it is introduced to the human
population through close contact with blood or other
bodily fluids of infected animals, such as handling of
infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys,
forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or
in the rainforest. Ebola also spreads from human to
human through the same means, contact of infected
bodily fluids. Ebola Virus Disease is a severe acute
viral illness causing low white blood cell and platelet
counts and elevated liver enzymes, which leads
impaired kidney and liver function, and internal and
external bleeding, usually the cause of death in
Ebola patients.
The skin becomes very weak that it easily
tears and bleeds with any movement made.
The surface of the tongue will begin to take
on a red color. The virus can even attack the
connective tissues that are rapidly
multiplying in collagen (collagen is
responsible for keeping the organs in place).
Ebola virus also causes blood clots in the
bloodstream. Death may be caused by
shock, renal failure, or loss of blood.
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Rationale

Ebola is a virus that greatly effects not
only the human population in various parts
of the world, but also in animals such as
chimpanzees and gorillas, that can be
affected by the disease, and bats, that
carry the disease. The spread of the Ebola
virus from infected animals to humans
classifies it as a zoonotic virus, and the
fact that there is no known cure for the
Ebola virus makes it especially
devastating to infected patients, human
and animal.
Further questions:
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If the virus changes at all from the infection
of animals to that of humans, how does it
change to be so deadly?
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Could there possibly be the development of
a vaccine for animals and not humans, or
vice versa?
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What are some of the possible cures or
vaccines being developed for the Ebola
virus?
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Who is most at risk for ebola virus?
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When should someone seek medical care?
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How is Ebola virus diagnosed in the
laboratory?