The Truth about Ebola
Silmarien Szilagyi
Hemorrhagic diseases have plagued the world for centuries, manifesting themselves in horrific and painful ways. For centuries people in Africa and many other parts of the world have suffered in silence and solitude. Their diseases were not well-understood, and the technology was not adequate to help them. But all that is changing.
Starting simply, hemorrhagic diseases are diseases that cause or are caused by abnormal and excessive bleeding. More often than not, these diseases are fatal, because the victim loses too much blood in too short a time. There are many hemorrhagic diseases, but this article will focus on the Ebola virus.
The Ebola virus is the most well-known member of the Filoviridae ribonucleic acid virus family. According to the Center for Disease Control’s website, the Ebola virus, officially recognized and named in 1976, is a very severe hemorrhagic disease native to Africa that infects humans, apes, and monkeys and is usually fatal. There are four different strains of the disease, one of which affects only apes and monkeys. The exact origin of the disease is shrouded in mystery, but scientists believe that it is “zoonotic,” or animal-borne. Speculation about which animal is the carrier ranges from bats to monkeys.
Ebola is a contagious disease that is initially spread from animal-to-human, then from human-to-human via direct and indirect contact with bodily fluids, usually blood. Once Ebola is confirmed within a patient, he/she is immediately quarantined. However, though this is less common today, it is not unheard of for the nurses or doctors caring for the patients to become infected as well. The symptoms and signs of Ebola are similar to those of other infectious illnesses and include: fever, chills, rash, headache, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, vomiting, etc.
More serious symptoms and signs are internal and external bleeding, and when these occur, it is obvious that the victim has Ebola. By that time, it is usually too late. Treatments vary, but according to the CDC’s website, there is no specific treatment for the disease itself. Healthcare workers keep the patient stabilized by monitoring his/her electrolyte levels, fluid intake, and blood pressure. Unfortunately, because the disease kills so quickly and is so contagious, people never get a chance to gain immunity, unlike with other diseases.
People around the world have been suffering from infectious hemorrhagic diseases for centuries, and until recently, their afflictions have gone unnoticed. However, in the past fifty or so years, scientists and healthcare workers have learned much about infectious hemorrhagic diseases. Now, the future of victims is looking brighter.
