Ebola: what it is, transmission, symptoms, treatment, prevention and vaccines

Ebola is a disease that still causes many concerns and doubts in the current context, it is transmitted by the virus ebola and mainly affects people living in the African region, it is serious and in some cases can even lead to death.

HOW DID EBOLA CAME?

The first cases of Ebola had its first outbreak in Africa in mid 1976, its appearance took place in two cities, republic of Congo and Sudan, the name since the disease occurred because both are located close to the Ebola River, that is, it is through the river that the name of the disease so feared by many comes from. people.

The causative agent of the disease is the Ebola virus of the Filoviridae family, bats were the first to be infected with the virus, even with the disease present in the body, the bat did not show any symptoms and continued in its normal state, that is, the disease did not progress, but there is an important detail, this virus not only passed to the bat, but also to other animals in the food chain, reaching the human species.

Transmission to humans may have occurred due to the habit of some African cities feeding on these infected animals, such as bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, in short, the virus was transmitted to the current blood.

There are more than 5 species of virus of the disease, each virus represents a name of the city already affected by it: The Ebola virus itself, Reston virus, reston virus it is important to mention that it does not affect humans, only animals, Sudan virus, tai Forest virus and virus bundibugyo.

The Ebola virus is the most lethal of all the other viruses mentioned, the death rate can reach up to 90% of cases, this even 90% of cases, that is, the rate of people who manage to cure themselves of the disease with treatments is very small. suitable

EBOLA TRANSMISSION

Transmission can occur in some ways, such as sharing blood through syringes, secretions, such as nasal, sexual, transmission through faeces, urine, and even sweat, and in the latter case it has not yet been accurately proven whether it actually happens to streaming.

The incubation period, that is, when the disease has not fully developed and has not yet there was no symptom there is no possibility of transmission, transmission only occurs with the signs of disease.

EBOLA SYMPTOMS

Symptoms can be varied and usually appear around 21 days after the onset of the disease in the body:

• Sudden fever, that is, high peaks of fever with no apparent cause
• Diarrhea accompanied by abdominal pain
• Frequent vomiting without apparent cause
• In some more severe cases there may be bleeding in the body.
• Characteristic wounds of the disease may appear
• In some cases where the problem has not been given greater attention, it can lead to kidney and liver failure, resulting in death in the second or third week after the appearance of the virus.

If there are serious complications of the disease, in some cases there is skin peeling, diarrhea of ​​aggravating levels, loss of consciousness, internal and external bleeding, such as eyes, nose, ear, causing serious cerebral damage, and especially the involvement of some important organs of our body, such as the kidneys and liver as already mentioned

When there is any suspicion of the presence of the Ebola disease in any region, especially in regions of Africa, it must be reported quickly, as it is of compulsory notification level.

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TREATMENT

The treatment is not yet fully specific, but two major vaccines have already emerged for the prevention of disease, the latter of which is still in development, the concern is also focused on the relief of symptoms. The test performed to detect the disease is the PCR, in this test the blood is evaluated in two collections and duly sent for analysis.

As mentioned, there is still no specific treatment for Ebola, but it can be controlled and even neutralized with palliative treatments and vaccines already available in some cities affected.

• Blood donation that helps neutralize the disease virus
• Immunological therapies,
• And some drugs and vaccines that are still in the testing phase

EBOLA PREVENTION

Brazil has not yet reported any cases of Ebola, but it is extremely important to be aware of the risk factors that may occur:

• Avoid contact, that is, control the borders to prevent people in risky territory, such as the Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo do not have contact with other people, thus avoiding the first Contagion
• Many do not know that dead bodies infected with the disease can still transmit the disease, therefore it is extremely important to design a decent and safe burial for these individuals.
• Avoid handling objects or bodies of infected people and especially perform daily hand hygiene

EBOLA VACCINES

For a long time there was still no sign of a vaccine that could directly affect the disease, in May 2018, this vaccine had its experimental phase in the congo, being an area heavily affected by disease.

The research carried out on the effectiveness of the vaccine, according to the WHO, was tested on more than 16 thousand people who were volunteered of their own free will, divided between Europe, the United States and mainly the region from Africa. Fortunately, the vaccine has shown great advances in fighting the disease.

It already had its testing process in 2015, in the city of Guinea, in 2018, the strategy used was ring vaccination, that is, people who had any suspicion of having the disease were screened and received the vaccine, the objective was and continues to be the prevention of the virus, preventing it from becoming spread.

IMPORTANT FACTS

According to the UN, in the city of Congo, there were more than 1000 survivors of the disease due to correct treatment with the vaccine, which is still in the experimental phase.

The data show that the disease is still very present and growing, according to the WHO, between the months of September and October, there were more of 20 confirmed cases of the virus and 29 more in the interior week, these cases were identified in the province of North Kivu and Ituri. With this number, the total number of infections caused by the disease rose to 3,197.

• Month of October 3,083 confirmed cases, of these 3,083 cases, there was a mortality number of 2,136, that is, the Ebola virus raised to 67% the mortality rate
• The risk groups are women, with 56% of cases, children and adolescents aged 18 years. Health agents end up being infected during the treatment process, but the number of infected is small, reaching less than 5%

• With the great expectation of the great improvement in the number of cases, 61 million will be invested together with 287 million dollars for new research, strategic plans and studies on the disease, according to the UN

• In October 2018, a second experimental vaccine was introduced in the adaptation phase. It was manufactured by Multinacional Johnson and Johnson.

• “The new vaccine, manufactured by the multinational Johnson & Johnson, will be administered, in two doses 56 days apart, the at-risk populations in areas where there is no active Ebola transmission as an additional tool to expand coverage against the virus". (According to the RDCONGO Health Authorities, 2018)

• The same vaccine will serve as a complement to the first vaccine, manufactured by Merck, which was fully praised and considered very safe.

• In 2014 there was the first case of Ebola in Brazil, a 47-year-old man who came from Guinea, a city with most cases of the virus, he was taken to the Evandro chagas hospital, a reference for treatment against diseases infectious diseases.

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