DEAR friends please note that for now, there is no approved agents to prevent or treat Ebola infection beyond supportive care. Due to its ease of dissemination, high lethality, and ability to cause widespread panic, Ebola is considered among the most concerning potential bioterror agents.
SALT, WATER AND EBOLA
Amazing how diverse rumours spread, but what actually is the corelation.
Salt and hot water can have harmful effects on your skin, and it usually depends on the individual. Though salt has an effect on platelet functionality, excess of it can be dangerous. For animals washing them with sodium chlorate and similar detergent is essential, to ensure there good health but not to kill. For humans is necessary to wash your hands always, the issue of salt is totally off from the precautions. Please know that, Drinking water mixed wit salt increases the risk of hypertension. Secondly, Bathing hot water mixed wit salt increases dehydration. The idea if bathing and drinking hot water and salt, has no scientific backing. The DP tried to explain how the error began. But that's not our main concern. The truth is that if you are not informed you are deformed; lets try and understand disease and stop believing hear says. The fear of any thing usually kills more than the thing it self. Please dont harm your harm yourself. CDC and WHO have summarized, all you need to know about Ebola as we have below.
Understanding EBOLA virus:
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care.
No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.
BRIEF HISTORY
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo.
The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.Genus Ebolavirus is 1 of 3 members of the Filoviridaefamily (filovirus), along with genus Marburgvirus and genus Cuevavirus. Genus Ebolavirus comprises 5 distinct species:
1.Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV)
2.Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV)
3.Reston ebolavirus (RESTV)
4.Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV)
5.Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV).
BDBV, EBOV, and SUDV have been associated with large EVD outbreaks in Africa, whereas RESTV and TAFV have not.
The RESTV species, found in Philippines and the People’s Republic of China, can infect humans, but no illness or death in humans from this species has been reported to date.
Natural host of Ebola virus
In Africa, fruit bats, particularly species of the genera Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata, are considered possible natural hosts for Ebola virus. As a result, the geographic distribution of Ebolaviruses may overlap with the range of the fruit bats.Ebola virus in animals.
Although non-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings.
Since 1994, Ebola outbreaks from the EBOV and TAFV species have been observed in chimpanzees and gorillas.
RESTV has caused severe EVD outbreaks in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) farmed in Philippines and detected in monkeys imported into the USA in 1989, 1990 and 1996, and in monkeys imported to Italy from Philippines in 1992.Since 2008, RESTV viruses have been detected during several outbreaks of a deadly disease in pigs in People’s Republic of China and Philippines.
Asymptomatic infection in pigs has been reported and experimental inoculations have shown that RESTV cannot cause disease in pigs.
HOW IS EBOLA TRANSMITTED
Because the natural reservoir of ebolaviruses has not yet been proven, the manner in which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak is unknown. However, researchers have hypothesized that the first patient becomes infected through contact with an infected animal.When an infection does occur in humans, there are several ways in which the virus can be transmitted to others. These include:*.direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person*.exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretionsThe viruses that cause Ebola HF are often spread through families and friends because they come in close contact with infectious secretions when caring for ill persons.During outbreaks of Ebola HF, the disease can spread quickly within health care settings (such as a clinic or hospital). Exposure to ebolaviruses can occur in health care settings where hospital staff are not wearing appropriate protective equipment, such as masks, gowns, and gloves.Proper cleaning and disposal of instruments, such as needles and syringes, is also important. If instruments are not disposable, they must be sterilized before beingused again. Without adequate sterilization of the instruments, virus transmission can continue and amplify an outbreak.
In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopeand porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.
Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.
Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola.
Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.
Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD.
This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.
Among workers in contact with monkeys or pigs infected with Reston ebolavirus, several infections have been documented in people who were clinically asymptomatic. Thus, RESTV appears less capable of causing disease in humans than other Ebola species.However, the only available evidence available comes from healthy adult males. It would be premature to extrapolate the health effects of the virus to all population groups, such as immuno-compromised persons, persons with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and children.
More studies of RESTV are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn about the pathogenicity and virulence of this virus in humans.
Signs and symptoms
EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
According to CDC, the signs and symptoms includes
*.Fever
*.Headache
*.Joint and muscle aches
*.Weakness
*.Diarrhea
*.Vomiting
*.Stomach pain
*.Lack of appetite
Some patients may experience:
*.A Rash
*.Red Eyes
*.Hiccups
*.Cough
*.Sore throat
*.Chest pain
*.Difficulty breathing
*.Difficulty swallowing
*.Bleeding inside and outside of the body
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to ebolavirus though 8-10 days is most common.Some who become sick with Ebola HF are able to recover, while others do not. The reasons behind this are not yet fully understood. However, it is known that patients who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death.
Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. Ebola virus was isolated from semen 61 days after onset of illness in a man who was infected in a laboratory.The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days.
WHO IS AT RISK
In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have been reported in:*.Guinea*.Liberia*.Sierra Leone*.Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)*.Gabon*.South Sudan*.Ivory Coast*.Uganda*.Republic of the Congo (ROC)*.South Africa (imported), Nigeria (imported).The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death haveoccurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States.During outbreaks of Ebola HF, those at highest risk include health care workers and the family and friends of an infected individual. (CDC).
Diagnosis OF EBOLA
According to CDC, Diagnosing Ebola HF in an individual who has been infected for only a few days is difficult, because the early symptoms, such as red eyes and a skin rash, are nonspecific to ebolavirus infection and are seen often in patients with more commonly occurring diseases.However, if a person has the earlysymptomsof Ebola HF and there is reason to believe that Ebola HF should be considered, the patient should be isolated and public health professionals notified.
Samples from the patient can then be collected and tested to confirm infection.Laboratory tests used in diagnosis include:
At onset
*.Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing
*.IgM ELISA
*.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
*.Virus isolation
Then Later in disease course or after recovery
*.IgM and IgG antibodies
Retrospectively in deceased patients
*.Immunohistochemistry testing
*.PCR
*.Virus isolation
Other diseases that should be ruled out before a diagnosis ofbEVD can be made include: malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and otherviral haemorrhagic fevers.Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed definitively in a laboratory through several types of tests:antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen detection testsserum neutralization testreverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assayelectron microscopyvirus isolation by cell culture.Samples from patients are an extreme biohazard risk; testing should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions. (WHO)
Vaccine and treatment
According to WHO, No licensed vaccine for EVD isavailable. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care.
Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.
No specific treatment is available.
New drug therapies are being evaluated.
However, according to CDC
Standard treatment for Ebola HF is still limited to supportive therapy.
This consistsof:
*.balancing the patient’s fluids and electrolytes
*.maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure
*.treating them for any complicating infections
Timely treatment of Ebola HF is important but challenging since the disease is difficult to diagnose clinically in the early stages of infection. Because early symptoms such as headache and fever are nonspecificto ebolaviruses, cases of Ebola HF may be initially misdiagnosed.
However, if a person has the early symptoms of Ebola HF and there is reason to believe that Ebola HF should be considered, the patient should be isolated and public health professionals notified. Supportive therapy can continue with proper protective clothing until samples from the patient are tested to confirm infection.
Experimental treatments have been tested and proven effective in animal models but has not yet been used in humans.
Prevention and control
Controlling Reston ebolavirus in domestic animals
No animal vaccine against RESTV is available.
Routine cleaning and disinfection of pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the virus.
If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately.
Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission.
Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.
As RESTV outbreaks in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections, the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.
Reducing the risk of Ebola infection in people
In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.
In Africa, during EVD outbreaks, educational public health messages for risk reduction should focus on several factors:
Reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit bats or monkeys/apes and the consumption of their raw meat.
Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing. Animal products (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission in the community arising from direct or close contact with infected patients, particularly with their bodilyfluids. Close physical contact with Ebola patients should be avoided.
Gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home.
Regular hand washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home.
Communities affected by Ebola should inform the population about the nature of the disease and about outbreak containment measures, including burial of the dead.
People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried.
Pig farms in Africa can play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on thesefarms.
Appropriate biosecurity measures should be in place to limit transmission.
For RESTV, educational public health messages should focus on reducing the risk of pig-to-human transmission as a result of unsafe animal husbandry and slaughtering practices, and unsafe consumption of fresh blood, raw milk or animal tissue.
Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues and when slaughtering animals.
In regions where RESTV has been reported in pigs, all animal products (blood, meat and milk) should be thoroughly cooked before eating.
Controlling infection in health-care settings
Human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus is primarily associated with direct or indirect contact with blood and body fluids.
Transmission to health-care workers has been reported when appropriate infection control measures have not been observed.
It is not always possible to identify patients with EBV early because initial symptoms may be non-specific.
For this reason, it is important that health-careworkers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices at all times.
These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment (according to the risk of splashes or other contact withinfected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.
Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus should apply, in addition to standard precautions, other infection control measures to avoid anyexposure to the patient’s blood and body fluids and direct unprotected contact with the possibly contaminated environment.
When in close contact (within 1 metre) of patients with EBV, health-care workers should wear face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean, non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).
Laboratory workers are also at risk.
Samples taken from suspected human and animal Ebola cases for diagnosis should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.
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