...EBOLA OUTBREAK INTRODUCTION 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 to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. The outbreak is caused by the Zaire ebola virus, known simply as the 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. Another outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed 13 people as of 26 August 2014, is believed to be unrelated to the West African outbreak. Initial outbreak in Guinea Researchers believe that the first human case of the Ebola virus disease leading to the 2014 outbreak was a 2-year-old boy who died 6 December 2013 in the village of Meliandou, Guéckédou Prefecture, Guinea. His mother, 3-year-old sister and grandmother then became ill with symptoms consistent with Ebola infection and died. People infected by those victims spread the disease to other village. On 19 March, the Ministry of Health acknowledged a local outbreak of an undetermined viral hemorrhagic fever; the outbreak, ongoing since February, had sickened at least 35 people and killed 23....
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...The Ebola Outbreak Karley Taylor 2nd period Siegler 10/24/14 Ebola outbreak The Ebola outbreak came from Africa. The virus is carried by wild animals. You can get it from handling wild animals. Ebola has been found in small animals. Researchers in France have found the virus in rodents in Central African Republic. Previously the virus has been found in primates and humans, and scientists have been going through the rainforest to find evidence in the smaller mammals, so that they can find out where it came from and how it spread. The virus has been in the bats in Africa, because people in a village in guinea the people there hunt, and eat them. It is popular in Africa to hunt, and eat bats. Fruit bats can carry the disease Ebola. If someone...
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...In 2014-2015 the largest outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) occurred in West African history. There were 28,646 diagnosed cases of Ebola reported in which 11,000 deaths were reported officially. In the initial months of the outbreak response were poorly coordinated and limited since there were little-known knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to Ebola. When responding to an outbreak public education and engagement of community is an important factor since it can be used to help stop an outbreak. In 2014 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) conducted a small-scale public knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) study using a small sample of Sierra Leone. Within less than one month in the study, the KAP study was an important tool used in 2014 by the Sierra Leone National Social Mobilisation Pillar, supported by Catholic Relief Service (CRS), and US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to inform public and community engagement strategies on Ebola prevention, control and treatment in Sierra Leone. As the outbreak widen the focus of the community was to improve the public knowledge, practice, and attitude toward Ebola until the help arrive. Such may include isolating infected patients, washing hands, handling...
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...EBOLA: Quarantine to control the outbreak One evening, as I sat on the couch relaxing from the stressful day I had; my eleven years old daughter came to me terrified saying, "mom I'm afraid, the Ebola is here". I immediately comforted her while silently worrying about the virus to myself. That made me pursue information about the virus and learn how to protect my family from the outbreak. Ebola is an awful virus which has many symptoms among bleeding causing death. There is currently no vaccine or cure for Ebola, the cost to treat the virus can be very high, and many medical centers may be ill-equipped to handle Ebola patients. After learning how deadly the virus can be that's when I decided that anyone entering the country from affected countries should be on a mandatory quarantine for twenty-one days to ensure they are Ebola free before possibly exposing any Americans to the virus. Ebola, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, was discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River; thus how the virus was named. Since its discovery outbreaks have occurred intermittently of the years in Africa. The natural host of the Ebola virus remains unknown to this day. Although, many researchers believe that the virus likely came from bats. There are a total of five strains of the virus; four of which are known to infect humans. Nonhuman primates such as monkey and gorillas can be infected by all five strains. According to the CDC, scientist believe that the first patient becomes infected...
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...Ebola Outbreak Brings CDC Flaws to Light Kim Wereszenski COM/215 February 2, 2015 William Morgan Ebola Outbreak Brings CDC Flaws to Light The US Ebola outbreak of 2014 brings to light flaws in decisions and processes followed by the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). After the break out of the Ebola virus in the US, American citizens have lost faith in the CDC. This biological event showed the CDC was ill prepared. The CDC, Founded by Dr. Joseph Mountin in 1964, was developed to combat the increasing spread of malaria. In 1964, it was a much smaller business with less than 400 employees. Over the years, Americans grew to trust the CDC’s processes and procedures. According to "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" (2013), “Today, CDC is the nation′s premier health promotion, prevention, and preparedness agency and a global leader in public health.” America started to lose faith in the CDC when the Ebola arrived in the US. Hospitals were not properly trained to handle an outbreak of this nature, stocked with protective gear, or taking proper precautions when encountering a potential Ebola patient. In 2014, the Ebola virus was out of control and spreading in West Africa. This heightened spread should have prompted the CDC to increase awareness and protocols in the US, yet nothing was done to protect or manage the situation. “When the outbreak in West Africa began, the CDC said that any hospital in the US with single rooms can safely care for patients...
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...JONATHAN AGYEMANG HUNTER COLLEGE 11/11/14 AMERICANS ARE TERRIFIED OF EBOLA. WHICH COULD MAKE IT HARDER TO STOP EBOLA ? The title of this article is Americans are terrified of Ebola. Which could make it harder to stop Ebola, the author of the article is Paul Waldman, the date of article October 14,2014 , the source is The Washington Post . Ebola is now the most scary epidemic that has put fear in people. The existence of Ebola has caused a lot of people emotionally to be very careful to whom ever they encounter. As a result of this fear, the general public is experiencing different attitudes towards people in buses , trains, school halls etc. Ebola virus kills as...
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...Ebola viral disease: What is to be Done? On March 21, 2014, there was a report of a disease that was ripping through African countries. It was soon discovered that the disease was the Ebola viral disease also known as EVD. In a matter of a few short months, the Ebola virus was reported in three of Guinea’s Conakry city districts named Gueckedou, Macenta, and Kissidougou, in Liberia’s Foya district, and in Sierra Leone (Dixon, Meredith G., and Ilana J. Schafer). On October 23, 2014, there was the first recorded Ebola case in the United States. There would be three more confirmed cases before the news would declare that the United States was Ebola-free. Those that had been infected with the virus had picked them up while in Guinea and had been transported to the U.S. for treatment. There was a scare when two health care personnel tested positive with the virus while caring for others. However, due to Emory Hospital’s fantastic protocols, the virus was contained and eventually cleared from the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Nonetheless, the Ebola viral disease is a deadly virus most commonly found in African countries in which outbreaks have occurred throughout history; but through careful procedures, and a change in current ideals, it can be contained and even prevented on a broader scale. The first main concept is the Ebola is a deadly disease that has affected hundreds around the world and currently does not have a cure. According to...
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...“The Ebola Outbreak in Africa” My individual Work: Researched Disaster & Disaster Plans: Ebola Outbreak (Completed). By: Regina J. Patton Workplace continuity & Contingency Planning – 4 Instructor: Sheila Highland Everest University Online October 19th, 2014 (Author Notes) Kaye, David is a leading author, lecturer, examiner and workshop leader on Risk Management and business continuity subjects. Professor Kaye guides a diverse range of companies and public sector organizations on risk related issues around the world. He is an FCII, FBCI, MIRM, FRSA and chartered insurer. Julia Graham is a former Board member of the Business Continuity Institute, the Chartered Insurance Institute and Chair of the British Standards Committee responsible for developing the British Standard for Risk Management (BS31100). Julia is the current Chair of AIRMIC, the association of insurance and risk managers which represents the majority of FTSE 250 companies in the UK. She is an FBCI, FCII and Chartered Insurer. Rothstein, Philip J., is FBCI, Editor. “The Ebola Outbreak” The Ebola virus disease has become one most recent national disaster. The Ebola outbreak started in West Africa and they believe that it started with one person. According to the CDC, the 2014 outbreak is the largest in history. West Africa was the first documented appearance of the Abola virus disease, which has spread to a number of states here in the US. The latest was in Dallas Texas. It has been said...
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...Ebola Virus In, Guinea on March 10,2014 hospitals and public health service alerted “Ministry of Health”. Guinea medical response was alerted to a disease characterized by fever, severe diarrhea, vomiting and a high fatality rate. The disease was spread from small town of Guinea to West Africa, which resulted in major outbreak in African continent. The outbreak is caused by genus Ebola virus, with cases fatality rate of 30 to 90 percent. Ebola virus is an aggressive pathogen that causes hemorrhagic fever syndrome in human and non-human primates. The virus originally has been identified during an “outbreak in Zaire in 1976 near the river Ebola were it got its name”(Sullivan, Yang and Nabel, 2003). Normally, the Ebola virus progress infection...
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...Name: Professor: Title: Date of Submission: Origin and Spread Ebola Background According to WHO, Ebola which is a serious, acute illness if untreated is very fatal (WHO.Int). Ebola virus disease first appearance was in two simultaneous outbreaks back in 1976. One was in Yambuku in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the other in Nzara, Sudan. The name Ebola sprout from Yambuku neighbors a river known as Ebola River. In 2014, the first case was notified in March which is the most recent and is still a current outbreak in the West of Africa. Ideally, this is the most complex and largest Ebola outbreak since the 1976 first appearance. The numbers of deaths are the highest (WHO.Int). The spread began in Guinea before spreading to the bordering nations including Liberia and Sierra Leone, then to Nigeria through one traveller on air, and to Senegal through on traveller on land. Ebola hemorrhagic fever also the Ebola virus disease or simply Ebola is a disease of primates including humans whose cause is Ebola viruses. Fever, headaches, muscle pain and sore throats are the initial signs and symptoms that develop between two days and three weeks upon contracting the virus. Decreased function of the kidney and liver then follow in addition to rash, diarrhea and vomiting. At this time, it is likely to observe both external and internal bleeding. The risk of death in relation to Ebola is significantly high. Killings between 25% and 90% are recorded of those infected which extends to...
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...disappeared and newer, more daunting ones have emerged. Many of these changes have taken place in the wake of important transformations in human civilizations and ecology. It is therefore feasible to propose that diseases succeed and fail in response to humanity's advances. Natural selection is unable to provide us with perfect protection against all pathogens, because they tend to evolve much faster than humans do. E. coli, for example, with its rapid rates of reproduction, has as much opportunity for mutation and selection in one day as humanity gets in a millennium. And our defenses, whether natural or artificial, make for potent selection forces. Pathogens either quickly evolve a counter defense or become extinct. Diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Polio have shown their wrath and humans have sought to find cures and treatment options. By definition, disease is essentially “a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affect a specific location (not just from a physical injury)” (WHO, 2007). The true boundaries and limitations of disease remain elusive. Healthcare specialists and researchers use “normal” conditions as their basis in order to understand what disease is. By understanding what disease is, one can target and identify the causes of the “abnormal” condition. The truth about diseases is that they are all relative. The question of how disease came to be remains unanswered though. Diseases are about as old as time—they have always...
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...Ebola: Overview of the Disease: Ebola, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is an uncommon but often deadly disease. This disease was first discovered when two outbreaks happened simultaneously in 1976 with cases in Sudan and The Democratic Republic of Congo. (1, 2015) It can affect non-human primates and also humans. Evidence suggests that fruit bats (Pteropodidae) may have been the Ebola virus source. (2, 2015) To date, there have been over 28,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths. (1, 2015) Since it was discovered, Ebola has had several outbreaks in Africa, but nothing of the scale of the current outbreak. More cases and deaths have occurred in the past 18 months than each previous outbreak combined. Symptoms: Usually symptoms appear...
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...Helping. The coming of Ebola and its subsequent global spread has becoming impossible to ignore. In just over 8 months, the virus has infected a confirmed amount of almost 18,000 people worldwide, with over 6,000 of those cases resulting in death (CDC). Coinciding with the sudden appearance of cases emerging within the United States, the country is experiencing its most widespread health scare since the introduction of AIDS in the 1980’s. The thought of contracting the disease is terrifying, capable of invoking strong instinctual reactions, especially when considering the near 60% kill rate and the horrendous damage it can cause to the body. While we have witnessed a Third-World...
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...Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — No Early End to the Outbreak Margaret Chan, M.D. N Engl J Med 2014; 371:1183-1185September 25, 2014DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1409859 Share: ArticleCiting Articles (5) Many people have asked me why the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa is so large, so severe, and so difficult to contain. These questions can be answered with a single word: poverty. The hardest-hit countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, are among the poorest in the world. They have only recently emerged from years of conflict and civil war that have left their health systems largely destroyed or severely disabled and, in some areas, left a generation of children without education. In these countries, only one or two doctors are available for every 100,000 people, and these doctors are heavily concentrated in urban areas. Isolation wards and even hospital capacity for infection control are virtually nonexistent. Contacts of infected persons are being traced but not consistently isolated for monitoring. Large numbers of people in these countries do not have steady, salaried employment. Their quest to find work contributes to fluid population movements across porous borders. The area where the borders of the three countries intersect is now the designated hot zone, where transmission is intense and people in the three countries continue to reinfect each other. Recent decisions to quarantine this area have brought extreme hardship to more than a million people...
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...Ebola is a virus that is often fatal without proper medical attention or if left untreated. There are three strains of Ebola, Bundibugyo, Zaire, and Sudan. Based on the PBS Frontline video entitled Outbreak, the disease was contracted by bats that the people of the Meliandou Village of Guinea in West Africa ate. Ebola is transmitted to humans that are in close contact with blood, organs, and any other bodily fluids from infected animals such as apes, bats, and porcupines. It is spread through direct human to human contact with infected blood, secretion, and other bodily fluids. Ebola has an incubation period of two to twenty-one days. The symptoms include: fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired...
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