Definition
The Ebola virus is a pathogenic microorganism responsible for a potentially lethal infection, known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or, more simply, EVD (acronym for Ebola Virus Disease ). The disease, which has mortality rates of 50-90%, is considered one of the most virulent infections in the world.
The virus takes its name from the river Ebola in which it was isolated in 1976: on that occasion there was a terrible epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Sudan.
The disease mainly affects the tropical regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, infection with the Ebola virus involves countries such as Giunea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Causes
Infection of the Ebola virus is transmitted by parenteral route or through direct contact with blood, body fluids (eg sperm, vaginal mucus, vomiting, urine, faeces) and tissues of infected people or animals. The direct aerial contamination of the Ebola virus is almost unlikely: the virus is therefore not transmitted through infected droplets of saliva or sputum.
Symptoms
The typical symptoms of Ebola virus infection generally appear 2 days / 3 weeks after infection. At first, Ebola hemorrhagic fever is difficult to diagnose: the onset symptoms are in fact non-specific (malaise, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, loss of appetite), so the infection can be confused by simple flu illness. Soon, however, the disease rapidly degenerates, causing damage to the circulatory, renal and liver systems. In the advanced stage, people infected with the Ebola virus manifest cutaneous bleeding (eg petechiae, purpura, bruising, hematoma) and gastrointestinal bleeding (eg blood in vomit, saliva and faeces), jaundice, convulsions, multiple organ failure and coma. The appearance of bleeding symptoms is often an indicator of poor prognosis.
Information on Ebola - Drugs for Ebola Care is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Ebola - Ebola Treatment Medicines.
drugs
Currently, there are no specific drugs that can eradicate Ebola virus infection.
The pharmacological treatment is essentially based on supportive therapy, aimed therefore at attenuating the symptoms: the Ebola virus seems in fact to resist the antiviral drugs currently available.
Although unable to intervene in the triggering cause, the symptoms of this violent haemorrhagic fever can be mitigated by palliative care, which includes:
- Intravenous / oral administration of liquids: patients suffering from Ebola hemorrhagic fever often appear dehydrated, therefore intravenous / oral administration of liquids is essential to maintain or restore the electrolyte balance.
- Oxygen therapy and other devices able to facilitate the breathing of the infected patient
- Transfusions of platelets and blood transfusions: these treatments are reserved for patients who manifest evident bleeding or high risk of bleeding.
- Drugs to alleviate pain
- Fever-lowering drugs
- Medications and treatments to maintain or stabilize adequate blood pressure
- Antibiotics: these drugs can be administered to the patient infected with the Ebola virus to prevent any secondary bacterial infections.
Despite the supportive therapies, patients infected with the Ebola virus die in 50-90% of cases. Researchers do not understand why some patients survive while others fail to overcome the infection. However, clinical evidence shows that no victim has developed an effective immune response to the Ebola virus.
At present, no vaccines are available to effectively prevent Ebola virus infection in humans. Some vaccines tested in monkeys have instead shown satisfactory results in the reduction of symptoms related to Ebola virus infection, but in humans they have not received any obvious success.
Prevention
There are no specific drugs or vaccines that can effectively cure or prevent the infection transmitted by the Ebola virus. For this reason, it is essential to adopt all the possible strategies necessary to prevent the spread of the disease.
The beginning of an epidemic triggered by the Ebola virus can generate devastating effects in a very short time. Suffice it to say that in the sub-Saharan areas, in the period between March and July 2014, over 1320 cases of Ebola virus infection were diagnosed.
To reduce the spread of the virus, the governments of some areas at high risk of contamination have imposed forced isolation (quarantine) on all those affected by the Ebola virus.
Fortunately, for many people the risk of contracting the Ebola virus is relatively low . Furthermore, the knowledge of the numerous risk factors that increase the probability of infection allows to undertake all the possible prevention strategies listed below:
- Avoid travel to Africa, especially in areas where epidemics have occurred in the past or in areas where the Ebola virus has been detected.
- Avoid research experiments on animals recognized as a probable natural reservoir of the Ebola virus: some primates (gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys) exposed to the Ebola virus could represent a possible source of infection. It should be remembered, however, that the natural host of the Ebola virus is still unknown; therefore it is not possible to implement a concrete program aimed at controlling or eliminating the natural reservoir of the virus.
- Avoid any possible direct contact with animals infected with the Ebola virus. Primates are not the only animals recognized as a possible source of contamination. The Ebola virus can in fact be contracted - therefore widespread - also by pigs, fruit bats, antelopes and dogs. Infected animals should be killed and carcasses incinerated or properly buried.
- Avoid direct contact with patients infected with the Ebola virus. Medical staff and family members who provide medical care and support to patients affected by the infection are likely to be contaminated in the event of failure or inappropriate use of protective devices. Consequently, the correct use of surgical masks, latex gloves, gowns and glasses reduces the risk of infection for all people in direct contact with sick patients.
- Avoid taking part in traditional burial ceremonies involving manipulation or direct contact with the infected deceased. The Ebola virus is potentially contagious even after the death of the affected person. For this purpose, to prevent contagion, it is important to avoid manipulation of the body of victims who died of infection with the Ebola virus. Burial practices involving exposure of the deceased to family members should therefore be avoided.
In conclusion, effective strategies aimed at minimizing the chances of Ebola virus infection are based on awareness of risk factors and the implementation of prevention measures.
