Hey Guys Here are some Important Facts about the Ebola Virus.
Officials have emphasized that there is no risk of transmission from people who have been exposed to the virus but are not yet showing symptoms. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Oct. 2 that the odds of contracting Ebola in the United States were extremely low.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids. If an infected person’s blood or vomit gets in another person’s eyes, nose or mouth, the virus may be transmitted. Although Ebola does not cause respiratory problems, a cough from a sick person could infect someone who has been sprayed with saliva. Because of that, being within three feet of a patient for a prolonged time without protective clothing is considered to be direct contact. Specialists at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta have also found that the virus is present on a patient’s skin after symptoms develop, underlining how contagious the disease is once symptoms set in.
The virus can survive for several hours on surfaces, so any object contaminated with bodily fluids may spread the disease. According to the C.D.C., the virus can survive for a few hours on dry surfaces like doorknobs and countertops and can survive for several days in puddles or other collections of body fluid. Bleach solutions can kill it.
In the current outbreak, most new cases are occurring among people who have been taking care of sick relatives or who have prepared an infected body for burial. Health care workers are at high risk.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids. If an infected person’s blood or vomit gets in another person’s eyes, nose or mouth, the virus may be transmitted. Although Ebola does not cause respiratory problems, a cough from a sick person could infect someone who has been sprayed with saliva. Because of that, being within three feet of a patient for a prolonged time without protective clothing is considered to be direct contact. Specialists at Emory University Medical Center in Atlanta have also found that the virus is present on a patient’s skin after symptoms develop, underlining how contagious the disease is once symptoms set in.
The virus can survive for several hours on surfaces, so any object contaminated with bodily fluids may spread the disease. According to the C.D.C., the virus can survive for a few hours on dry surfaces like doorknobs and countertops and can survive for several days in puddles or other collections of body fluid. Bleach solutions can kill it.
In the current outbreak, most new cases are occurring among people who have been taking care of sick relatives or who have prepared an infected body for burial. Health care workers are at high risk.
Are there drugs to treat or prevent Ebola?
There are currently no drugs or vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat or prevent Ebola, and in past outbreaks the virus has been fatal in 60 percent to 90 percent of cases. An experimental drug called ZMapp might help infected patients, but the drug is unproven and is no longer available. The World Health Organization suggests that blood from Ebola survivors might be used to treat others, but there is no proof that such a treatment alone would work.
The United States government plans to fast-track development of a vaccine shown to protect macaque monkeys, but there is no guarantee it will be effective in humans. Beyond this, all physicians can do is try to nurse people through the illness, using fluids and medicines to maintain blood pressure, and treat other infections that often strike their weakened bodies. A small percentage of people appear to have an immunity to the Ebola virus.
The United States government plans to fast-track development of a vaccine shown to protect macaque monkeys, but there is no guarantee it will be effective in humans. Beyond this, all physicians can do is try to nurse people through the illness, using fluids and medicines to maintain blood pressure, and treat other infections that often strike their weakened bodies. A small percentage of people appear to have an immunity to the Ebola virus.
Host
cell
Ebola
virus
Antibodies
ZMapp
Viral
RNA
Ebola
virus
The Ebola virus infects cells by punching into the cell and injecting a small piece of viral RNA. The RNA hijacks the machinery of the cell and uses it to create more copies of the Ebola virus, which in turn infect other cells.
Ebola survivors have antibodies against the Ebola virus in their blood. Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that can latch on to a specific virus and prevent it from infecting cells. Plasma extracted from the blood of Ebola survivors might be transfused into infected people, possibly helping them fight the infection.
The drug ZMapp is a mixture of three different antibodies that were developed in mice and modified to work in humans. The drug was first tested in humans during the current outbreak, but it is unclear if the drug is effective. ZMapp is made in tobacco plants and there is only limited manufacturing capacity.
Correction: An earlier version of this graphic referred incorrectly to the structure that encloses human cells. It is the cell membrane, not the cell wall.
How does the disease progress?
Symptoms usually begin about eight to 10 days after exposure to the virus, but can appear as late as 21 days after exposure, according to the C.D.C. At first, it seems much like the flu: a headache, fever and aches and pains. Sometimes there is also a rash. Diarrhea and vomiting follow.
Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage. They may vomit blood or pass it in urine, or bleed under the skin or from their eyes or mouths. But bleeding is not usually what kills patients. Rather, blood vessels deep in the body begin leaking fluid, causing blood pressure to plummet so low that the heart, kidneys, liver and other organs begin to fail.
Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage. They may vomit blood or pass it in urine, or bleed under the skin or from their eyes or mouths. But bleeding is not usually what kills patients. Rather, blood vessels deep in the body begin leaking fluid, causing blood pressure to plummet so low that the heart, kidneys, liver and other organs begin to fail.
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