Ebola outbreak

What is it?
The Ebola virus disease (evd) formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a
severe condition caused by a virus from the Filoviridae family. Known to be a
condition that is transmitted from animals to humans, this virus spreads through
direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.

An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is ongoing in West Africa.
The outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013, but was not detected until March
2014, after which it spread toLiberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.
The outbreak is caused by Ebola virus (EBOV). It is the most severe outbreak of
Ebola in terms of the number of human cases and deaths since the discovery of the
virus in 1976, with the number of cases from the current outbreak now outnumbering the
combined cases from all known previous outbreaks
How is it transmitted? What are its causes?
According to scientists there are five different types of the virus, all of which have the
potential to infect humans. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) this
disease can be transmitted from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or
other bodily fluids of infected animals. In humans the disease can be transmitted by
the following methods:
Coming into contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of an
infected person.
Healthcare workers may contract the disease through transmission as well
through contact with infected bodily fluids.
Handling the meat from infected animals.
Contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who has passed away
Symptoms:
The incubation period (or the time between when the actual infection takes place to
the time when a person sees symptoms of this condition) for this disease is about
one week. After this period a person will commonly see the signs that are considered
as early symptoms.
The early symptoms include fever, rashes, headache, nausea, vomiting and stomach
pain. Apart from that a person may also experience symptoms like pain in the lower
back, arthritis like pain all over the body, diarrhea and a sore throat.
Once the condition has progressed a person may notice symptoms like:
Bleeding from the mouth, ears, nose and ears.
Increased sensitivity to pain on the skin,
Genital swelling
Conjunctivitis
Rashes all over the body,
And reddening of the roof of the mouth.

How is it diagnosed?
Usually a doctor will be able to diagnose the condition with the symptoms
alone, but in order to confirm the diagnosis he/she may prescribe tests
like CBC (Complete Blood Count), coagulation studies (a test to check for the
amount of time a persons blood needs to clot), viral antigen testing (a test to
check for the presence of the viral antigen) and a liver function test.

Economic effects:
1. Markets and shops are closing, due to travel restrictions, cordon sanitaire, or fear of
human contact, leading to loss of income for producers and traders.
2. Movement of people away from affected areas has disturbed agricultural activities
3. Tourism is directly impacted in affected countries. Other countries in Africa which are
not directly affected by the virus have also reported adverse effects on tourism.
4. Foreign mining companies have withdrawn non-essential personnel, deferred new
investment, and cut back operations

STEPS TAKEN by our govt:
The ministry said an "emergency operation centre" helpline for reporting any cases
started operations and "surveillance is being strengthened at airports and ports".
The government is setting up centres at airports and ports to deal with travellers
showing any potential symptoms of Ebola, spread through close contact with bodily
fluids of people who who are sick.
All air passengers arriving in India from Ebola-affected countries must now fill in a
symptom-checklist form and provide addresses as the government builds a database
to track people who might develop symptoms.