“The first cases of Ebola deaths appeared in Central Africa in 1976, when humans became infected by contact with monkey carcasses.
Although the origin of Ebola is uncertain, the virus is known to be present in some bat species that do not develop the disease but are able to transmit it. For example, some animals, such as monkeys or wild boars, may eat fruits contaminated with bat saliva and, as a result, infect humans by eating contaminated boars as food.
- After animal contamination.
- Humans can transmit the virus to each other through saliva.
- Blood and other body secretions.
- Such as semen or sweat.
Ebola has no cure and therefore it is very important to prevent human-to-human transmission of the virus by hospitalizing patients in isolation and using special protective equipment (PPE).
There are 5 different types of Ebola, so called by the region where they first appeared, although all types of Ebola have a high mortality rate and cause the same symptoms in patients.
The 5 known types of Ebola are
When a person becomes infected with a type of Ebola virus and survives, he becomes immune to this strain of the virus, but is not immune to the other four types and can recur Ebola.
The first symptoms of Ebola virus can take 2 to 21 days to appear after infection and include:
However, after 1 week, symptoms tend to get worse and may appear
In addition, it is at this stage of aggravation of symptoms that potentially fatal brain disturbances can occur, leaving the person in a coma.
Ebola is diagnosed using laboratory tests. IgM antibodies may appear 2 days after the onset of symptoms and disappear 30 to 168 days after infection.
The disease is confirmed by specific laboratory tests, such as PCR, from two blood samples, taking the second sample 48 hours after the first.
Ebola transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood, saliva, tears, sweat or semen of infected patients and animals, even after death.
In addition, Ebola transmission can also occur when the patient sneezes or coughs without protecting the mouth and nose, however, unlike the flu, it is necessary to be very close and with more frequent contacts to contract the disease.
Normally, people who have been in contact with an Ebola patient should be monitored for 3 weeks measuring body temperature twice a day and, if they have a fever above 38.3 degrees, they should be admitted to begin treatment.
Preventive measures against Ebola include
Since Ebola infection can take up to 21 days to be discovered, during an Ebola outbreak, it is recommended to avoid travel to affected areas as well as to areas bordering these countries. Another measure that may be useful is to avoid public places with high concentrations of people, as you don’t always know who may be infected and transmission of the virus is easy.
What is recommended in case of an Ebola virus infection is to stay away from everyone and look for a treatment center as soon as possible because the sooner treatment is started, the greater the chances of recovery. Take special care with vomiting and diarrhea.
Ebola treatment is to keep the patient hydrated and fed, but there is no specific treatment to cure Ebola. Infected patients are kept isolated in the hospital to maintain hydration and control infections that may occur, to reduce vomiting and also to prevent transmission of the disease to others.
Researchers are studying how to create a drug that can neutralize the Ebola virus and also a vaccine that can prevent Ebola, but despite scientific advances, its use in humans has not yet been approved.