According to CDC, Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever (VHF), refers to a group of viruses that affect the organ systems in the body and often causes bleeding.
The name of the virus taken from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) where one of the outbreaks occurred in 1976. In the same year, there was another outbreak in Sudan.
WHO informs, there are five types of the virus, which derives its name based on where it originated.
Three of these are associated with the largest fever outbreak in Africa. Among them there are Zaire, Sudan, and Bundibugyo where the virus was discovered in 2007.
There is also a single case in the Ivory Coast. This type of virus was found when a researcher who studied wild chimps gets sick in 1994 after a post mortem on one of the animals.
The last type is Reston has taken its name from a state in Virginia. It was identified by monkeys imported from the Philippines.
Although there are cases of humans infected with the Ebola virus, no deaths were recorded.
Why is Ebola so frightening?
An organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said, "Ebola as one of the world's most dangerous diseases that spread in the blood and turn off the immune system causing fever, headache and muscle aches."
The contagious virus can kill up to 90 percent and there is no vaccine available to treat it.
Of the five types of Ebola, Zaire was the first type identified and considered the most dangerous.
What are the symptom?
Early symptom of Ebola virus is sudden onset of fever, body weakness, muscle pain, headache, and throat. Symptoms may appear between 2 and 21 days after infection.
However, there is no specific and likely misunderstood the signs of disease such as malaria, typhoid fever or meningitis. Some infected patients can also get a rash, red eyes, hiccups, chest pain, breathing difficulty, and swallowing.
Among the other, early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, kidney and liver function affected, and sometimes cause internal and external bleeding. Ebola can only be confirmed by five different laboratory tests.
How is it treated?
There is no specific treatment for Ebola. According to MSF, patients infected with this virus will be isolated and then assisted by health workers. These include hydrating the patient, maintaining the oxygen status, blood pressure, and treating them for any complicating infections.
There are also cases of health care workers who were infected with the virus from the patient, and thus the WHO has issued guidelines for dealing with such cases if they have been confirmed or suspected.
For health care, they have to wear shirts and impermeable gloves with medical masks to prevent the liquid splash exposed the nose, mouth and eyes.
How many cases have occurred?
The CDC estimates there are more than 1,800 cases of Ebola were recorded with more than 1,300 deaths.
The last entrys outbreak before the current epidemic in Guinea were in 2012 in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The outbreak in Uganda identified from Sudan and involved a total of 24 cases with 17 deaths.
It was declared ended in October the same year. The outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo are of Bundibugyo.
According to a CDC report, the epidemic which causes most deaths was in 1976 is kind of Zaire when 280 out of 318 infected people died.
In 2000, 425 case's types of Ebola in Uganda and 224 were reported death.
Where it attacks?
Ebola usually occur in remote villages in central and western Africa, near the tropical rainforest.
The most frequently affected was in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Sudan.
The epidemic is also considered unusual because it is based in Guinea but was never affected and spread to urban areas.
The Ebola outbreak began in Nzerekore (a remote area in southeast Guinea), but has now spread to the capital Conakry with a population reaching two million people.
What is going on?
WHO advised avoiding contact with Ebola patients, avoid sharing towels, and their body fluids.
Caregivers should wear gloves and protective equipment such as masks and washing hands frequently.
Warnings are given against eating meat such as monkeys, bats or infected monkeys. Fruit bats are considered a delicacy, especially for local communities in Guinea where the outbreak began.
Liberian Minister of Health has advised the public to stop copulating in addition too existing advice not to shake hands or kissing.
Worker in some supermarkets around the capital of Liberia have also begun to wear gloves as a precaution. It is understood that Senegal has closed its land border with Guinea.
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