Ebola disease

Ebola Virus
Ebola virus originated from Zaire now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Infectious Disease Fact Sheet

Name of disease	EBOLA
Name of causative agent	Virus
Type of microbe R	Bacterium        Eukaryote        virus        Provirus VIRUS
If Bacterial:
·      Gram-reaction
·      Cell shape and arrangement
If Eukaryotic: R	Alga    Protozoa    Platyhelminth    Nematode    Fungus
·      Multicellular or Unicellular
If Viral: R	DNA        +Strand RNA        -Strand RNA        Retrovirus The virus is negative strand RNA
·      Naked or Enveloped	Enveloped
·      Formation of Provirus	Filoviridae  (filovirus)
Epidemiology:
·      Geographic Prevalence	Africa; Zaire NOW KNOWN AS Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Uganda, Sudan, Cote d,Ivore, Ivory Coast, Reston
·      Average rates of infection	Approximately 90% fatality rate
·      Reservoir(s)	The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown, the manner in which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak has not been determined. However, researchers have hypothesized that the first patient becomes infected through contact with an infected animal.
·      Main transmission mode(s)	Direct contact with blood body fluids and tissues of infected people. Handling sick or dead infected animals (monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, fruit bats, forest antelope
Pathology:
·      Major tissues/organs affected	Liver, spleen, thyroid gland, kidney, skin, brain, lungs, pancreas
·      Major signs/symptoms	Sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients
·      Sequalae?	Orchitis, arthralgia, myalgia, desquamation or alopecia
·      Latency?	2 days or as long as 21 days.
Treatment:
·      Main treatment methods	There is no standard treatment for Ebola HF. Treatment is primarily supportive and includes minimizing invasive procedures, balancing electrolytes, and, since patients are frequently dehydrated, replacing lost coagulation factors to help stop bleeding, maintaining oxygen and blood levels, and treating any complicating infections
·      Typical length of treatment	unknown
·      Prophylactic measures	Wearing of protective clothing, such as masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles; the use of infection-control measures, including complete equipment sterilization; and the isolation of Ebola HF patients from contact with unprotected persons.