Introduction

-Ebola virus causes Evola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in human and non-
human primates .
-The virus has no established origin, location, or habitat.
- Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are thought to be the natural host of Ebola virus thought
they themselves do not show any symptoms
- EVD has a high mortality rate of up to 90%.
-The disease is highly contagious
- The disease is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids
Ebola Transmission
Can be transmitted by
Blood
Secretions
Needles
Healthcare setting accounts for majority of ebola transfers
Spread via a ir in lab settings but has not occurred in actual outbreak
settings
Outbreaks
- After the first occurance, there has been 13 outbreaks Ebola
- This could happen when something contaminated by infected
primates is eaten by a person from deep in into rain forest
- Most prominent in remote villages in West and central Africa near
rainforests
Severity

Disease inspires fear due to

Rapid onset
Definitive symptoms
Poor prognosis
In addition:
There is no treatment beyond supportive measures
Easily misclassified (initial sympotms are similar to flu symptoms
Quarantine is difficult to enforce
Basic Symptoms
Headache
Sudden Fever
Joint and muscle aches
Sore threat
Intense Weakness
Incubation
2 – 21 days after initial symptoms, more severe symptoms develop
after 5 days
Severe symptoms
Rash, nausea, Diarrhoea, internal and external bleeding and vomiting
within 5 days
Bleeding from mucus membranes occurs after full onset ( leads to
external and internal hemorrhaging
Before death
Directly prior to death, may experience tachnypnea, hypotension,
anuria, hiccups and coma
Not all cases are lethal
Tachypnea determines if life or death
If you have tachypnea and hiccups, death is more likely
Treatment
No specific medicine or vaccine has been proven to be effective against
Ebola
Keep basic hyigine
Maintain blood pressure
Giving plenty of fluids
Treating sympotms
After recovery some people may show the presence of Ebola virus in has
been found in immune-privileged regions like the testicles or inside the eye.
For pregnant women, in placenta, amniotic fluid, fetus and breast milk. The
time it takes for them to move completely various from person to person.
Ebola in the news
First known outbreak is currently occurring (previous cases were far
away in democratic republic of Congo and Uganda
Bats in Guinea (bats are thought to be a mojor carrier. Selling and
consumption of bats are banned. Bats do ot show any symptoms.
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are thought to be the natural
host of Ebola virus
Microbiology
-RNA virus encased a lipid envelope
-All causes death. The rate depends on the strand.
- Found in the Filoviridae family
- Ebola subtypes (named by region)
- Reston, Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Zaire
Deadly Subtypes
- Different subtypes have different severities
- Four strain are lethal to humans : Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo , Sudan,
Zaire
Preventive measures
- Isolate the sick
-Stop the consumption of animal meat
Prompt disposal of victims’ bodies
Trace those who had contact with infecteddisinfect homes of the dead and sick
Protective clothes for anyone handling infected animals
Can we find a cure
An expiremental drug called ZMapp made up of 3 antobodies that
attack the virus.
Research at Fort detrick, Maryland reported the discovery of a small
molecule that rescues rodents and monkeys from various hemorrhagic
fevers
Molecule is named BCX4430
BCX4430
Hihgly resembles adenosine in DNA
But let’s think a little : if this molecule resembles adenosine, how does
it work? The virus accident;ly takes up the BCX4430 instead of
adenosine and BCX4430 blocks further growth and reproduction
Wait, won’t thst kill our cells too?
Luckily human cells are not fooled by this molecule and are not
affected by its damaging effects
Result of testing
All of the monkeys that did not receive bcx4430 died by day 12. all but
one monkey that received a dose of BCX4430 survived, even if the
initial does after a 48 hour infection. 17 of 18 treated monkeys lived
Ebola is still evolving
May be evolving to keep victims alive longer = more exposure can occur