Download List of emerging and re-emerging diseases

EMERGING THREATS REPORT FOR THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
STUDENT NAME
COURSE NAME AND NUMBER
DATE SUBMITTED
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ebola is one of the emerging threats for the scientific community due to its high mortality
rates and emerging of new stains for instance in Uganda. It has claimed many lives especially
in regions around the tropical rainforest such as Congo, DR Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Uganda, Nigeria, and Gambia. Countries in other regions have been affected due to either
laboratory accidents such as in Russia, tourists or medical aid workers. Africa is the most
Ebola affected accounting for most of the cases. Up to date, there is no known treatment for
Ebola as treatment of the symptoms is the only available option. Previously scientists
concentrated on childhood diseases such as whooping cough, polio and diphtheria forgetting
there are other diseases that would emerge adapt and become resistant to drugs. They also did
not put into consideration the factors that contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases
such as increase in population, technology, poverty etc.
Today there are microbial threats that were thought to be under control but today they are
emerging such as Ebola, cholera, TB. There is also emerging threat of bioterrorism agents
which are classified into three categories that is A, B and C, and pose danger as terrorist may
use them as an option in conducting attack. These emerging diseases are characterized by fast
rates of transmission in the human population especially through contact for instance cholera
and Ebola
Name of disease
Ebola is a caused by a virus and one of the emerging disease threats today. It was previously
referred to as Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
Pathogen type
Ebola is caused by a virus called Filovirus which belong to a family of viruses referred to as
Filoviridae. It is usually long particles which are branched filaments of different shapes
which may measure up to 14,000 nanometers in lengths and have a diameter of 80
nanometers
The figure below show electron micrograph filamentous Ebola virus particles (Baylor
College of Medicine, 2016).
Courtesy of NIAID
Type of disease
Ebola is a viral disease
Case rate
The Ebola case rate varies as only the laboratory confirmed cases. Global wise 28,639 cases
have been reported which involved 11,316 cases as of march 13th, 2016 (CDC, 2016).
Source of infection
This disease is transmitted my wild animals such as infected fruit bats and primates; monkeys
apes. Contact with bush meat infected will also transmitted to humans
Treatment options
Though currently there is no proven treatment for Ebola there are potential treatments such as
such as immune therapies, blood products and drug therapies which are still under evaluation.
Only control measures are use such as supportive care re-hydration with oral and intravenous fluids and treatment of the Ebola symptoms (WHO, 2016).
Signs and symptoms
Ebola has an incubation period of between 2 – 21 days. The signs and symptoms
include:Fever, Fatigue, Headache, Muscle pain and Sore throat. Other symptoms such as
diarrhea, vomiting, rash, internal and external bleeding the follow.
Transmission
The disease is spread from one person to another through; physical contact for instance
through body fluids, sex, contact with bats and sharing of sharp objects such as needles.
(CDC, 2016)
Prevention
In an outbreak prevention of Ebola requires groups of interventions for instance contact
tracing, case management and surveillance. This requires community participation especially
is safe burial of bodies. This can also be done through creating awareness on techniques of
controlling the disease such as it spread and transmission from wild animals (WHO, 2016)
History of pandemics
YEAR
1976
1976
1989
1995
1996
20002001
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION
Zaire
First outbreak of Ebola
Gabon
Gabon gold mining camps in the rain
forest
USA
Introduced in US quarantine facilities by
monkey from the Philippines
DRC/Zaire
Index patient worked in the forest
adjourning the city
Russia
Laboratory contamination
Uganda
Associate with funeral attendance and
caring for patients with Ebola without
CASES DEATHS
318
280
0
0
0
0
315
250
1
425
1
224
20012002
2007
2007
2014
Congo
proper PPE
First case reported in republic of Congo
DRC (Zaire) Last confirmed case on 10/04 and last
death 10/10
Uganda
Outbreak of a new strain of Ebola in
western Uganda
West Africa Largest in history
57
43
264
187
149
37
Over
27,000
Over
11,000
Courtesy of CDC 2015
This table shows laboratory confirmed cases only
Anatomic location
Ebola affects every part of the body except the bones and skeletal muscles since it’s systemic.
Ebola HF is characterized by blood clotting haemorrhaging (Rafael, 2014)
Country of origin
Ebola first emerged in Sudan in 1976 with a mortality rate of 53% and later in Zaire with a
mortality of 88% where it is named after Ebola river in Zaire now Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) (Stanford University, 2016).
Major factors that underlie disease emergence and re-emergence
factors
Genetic and biological factors
Human susceptibility to infection
Human demographics and behaviour
Impaired host immunity
malnutrition
Climate and weather
Changing ecosystem
Technology
Microbial agent
Human host
Human environment
List of emerging and re-emerging diseases
Group
1
Pathogens newly recognized in
the past two decades
diseases
HIV/AIDS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
Swine flu (H1N1)
Ebola haemorrhagic fever
Nipah virus encephalitis
2
Re-emerging pathogens
3
Agents with bioterrorism
potential broken down in
category A, B, C
Sources Morens D. M., Fauci AS, (2013)
Ebola haemorrhagic fever
Giardiasis
H5N1 Influenza A
Escherichia coli O157
Category A Anthrax
Botulism
Small pox
Plague
Tularemia
Viral hemorrhagic fever
Ebola
B Brucellosis
Glanders
Melioidosis
Q fever
Typhus
Psittacosis
C Nipah virus
Hanta virus
H1N1
HIV/AIDS
REFERENCES
1. Centre for disease control and prevention, (2016). Ebola: Questions and answers
about Ebola, Pets, and other animals. Clifton Road, Atlanta, USA. CDC. US
Department of Health and Human Services publications.
2. Stanford University, (2016). Brief General History of Ebola. Web accessed on Dec
11th, 2016. Retrieved from https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/filo/history.html
3. WHO, (2016). Ebola Virus Disease: key facts. Web accessed on Dec 11th, 2016.
Retrieved from www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
4. Rafael, (2014). How Ebola virus affects the body. Web accessed on Dec 11th, 2016.
Retrieved from www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/57205.aspx
5. Morens D. M., Fauci AS, (2013). Emerging infectious diseases: Threats to human
health and global stability. PLos Pathog 9(7):
e1003467.doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003467
6. Baylor College of Medicine, (2016). Ebola Virus Disease. Web accessed on Dec 11th,
2016. Retrieved from www.bcm.edu/departments/molecular-virology-andmicrobiology/emerging-infections-and-biodefence/ebola-virus