REDCARE HEALTH TALK

EBOLA VIRUS

INTRODUCTION • Also known as ‘Green Monkey Fever’.

• First Recognized in Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in 1976.

• It got it’s name from the Ebola River in Congo.

• An RNA virus from the Filoviridae family.

• It’s natural reservoir is unknown but believed to be in Monkeys, Gorillas, and Fruit Bats.

• The latest outbreak was in March 2014 in Guinea and Liberia.

THE TYPES

There are 5 identified subtypes:

-Bundibuygo Ebolavirus (BDBV)

-Zaire Ebolavirus (EBDV)

-Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV)

-Tai Forest Ebolavirus (TAFV)

-Reston Ebolavirus (RESTV)

The first three are fatal, predominant in Africa.

TAFV & RESTV are predominant in Asia and Philippines.

HOW IS IT SPREAD? • It presents as a hemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of

90%

• Contact with infected animals

• Person to person contact

• Sporadic outbreaks

• There is no “carrier” state, that is a person harbouring the disease without showing signs of infection

TRANSMISSION

• Direct contact with blood or secretion of an infected person.

• Ingestion of infected animal—Bushmeat.

• Via fomites: clothing, utensils, toys, etc.

• Nosocomial transmission—within healthcare setting and in morgues.

• Airborne transmission (aerosols)– This mode is still being queried in humans.

SYMPTOMS Incubation period of 2-21days with abrupt onset

-Fever

-Headache

-Joint & Muscle pain

-Sore throat

-Severe fatigue

-Gastrointestinal symptoms

-Rash

-Red eyes

-Bleeding (both internal & external)

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS

• First rule out other infections that present with “Flu-like” symptoms.

• Early symptoms are usually non-specific hence a person who presents with a raid of symptoms, should be suspected for the virus.

-Isolate such person (Quarantine)

-Notify local and state health departments

LABORATORY TESTS

• ELISA (Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)

• RT-PCR (Reverse transcriptase-polymerase)

• Virus isolation by cell culture

• Serum neutralization test

• IgM and IgG for the viral antibodies

TREATMENT

No curative treatments or vaccines available, therefore, supportive therapy is best as soon as detected:

-Balance fluids & electrolytes

-Oxygen therapy

-Maintain blood pressure

-Use of antibiotics for complications

-Use of anticoagulants (prevents blood clots where necessary)

PREVENTION

• Proper hand washing/sanitization.

• Health workers should use proper protective equipments—masks, gloves, etc.

• Extreme care to be applied in funeral homes.

• Minimal exposure to wildlife.

• Avoid travel/tours to high incidence areas.

A DEADLY VIRUS KILLING FASTER THAN THE HIV/AIDS

BE-AWARE

THANK YOU.