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Tyler Roberge
Wayne Reed
ENC1101
12/09/14

Ebola Disease Virus

I want to use myself as an example, just so that people have a sense of the
science here. I shook hands with, hugged and kissed not the doctors, but a couple of the
nurses at Emory, because of the valiant work that they did in treating one of the patients.
They followed the protocols, they knew what they were doing, and I felt perfectly safe
doing so, (President Obama, Obama: 'I Shook Hands with, Hugged, and Kissed...a
Couple of Nurses' at Ebola Hospital) said the president when addressing the reporters.
Personally I hadnt heard anything about this Ebola until arriving in the United States just
recently this year. Once I turned my attention to the news, all I was being informed of,
was different Ebola cases and the pandemonium over it all. The history of Ebola hasnt
been very long, being only about 40 years old, and the prevention methods seem pretty
standard for it being such a threat. Unfortunately, Ebola has become one of the most
infamous viruses in the past few years, but should we really be wasting our time dwelling
over something that is so easily avoidable?
The history of Ebola hasnt been very long. Starting with its discovery in the year
1976, in Zaire, near the Ebola river. This river is located in what we identify it as now,
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following this was thirty-two other outbreaks,
according to the World Health Organization; Ebola now resulted in a total of 2,361 cases,
and 1,438 deaths. In 1977, one human died from Ebola, again located in Zaire, in the

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village of Tandala. The next reported case wasnt until 1994, when 52 humans were
reported to have contracted the disease in Gabon. Of the 52 infected, 31 passed away
from the disease, resulting in a 60% death rate. In 1995, 315 cases were reported again in
the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a death rate of 81%. From 1996-1997, Gabon
reported to of had 97 cases with an average death rate of 68%. Also in 1996, both Russia
and South Africa had minimal cases, but still had pretty high death rates. From October
2001-March 2002 Gabon reported another 65 cases resulting in 53 of them dead. October
2001-December 2003 Republic of Congo reported a total of 235 cases with 200 deaths.
Russia had one report as well as one death in 2004 from Ebola. From 2007 to present
date, there have been over 5700 reports, and 3148 deaths from Ebola. (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

WHO, and CNN. Ebola Outbreak. Digital image. N.p., 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Nov.
2014.

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Ebola has multiple symptoms, much like the

flu, but not

exactly the same. These symptoms consist of:

Fever, severe headache, muscle pain,
weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting,
abdominal (stomach) pain, and
unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or
bruising). These symptoms may
appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days
after exposure to Ebola, but the
average is 8 to 10 days. If after 21 days, an

Symptoms of Ebola. 2014. N.p. By

Mikael Hggstrm.

exposed person does not develop symptoms,

then they will not become sick with Ebola. You can only spread the disease if you are
showing symptoms. Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and
the patients immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop
antibodies that last for at least 10 years. ("Ebola Threat Eases." BMJ: British Medical
Journal)

Ebola is an untreatable disease, meaning that there is no FDA-approved vaccine

available. However, that doesnt mean its not survivable, currently survival is being
improved by receiving early supportive care with rehydration and also symptomatic
treatment. The prevention of this disease starts with the infection control. When anyone is
do be dealing with an Ebola victim, they must be fully clothed from head-to-toe with no
skin exposed. The safety-training period to help treat and prevent can be as long as 12

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days. Some lipid solvents can be used to disinfect surfaces areas, as well as detergents,
sodium hypochlorite, or calcium hypochlorite. If you have travelled to or are within an
affected area, you are advised to do the following: Practice careful hygiene, do not handle
items that have been in contact with the infected, avoid funerals of Ebola victims, avoid
contact with bats or nonhuman primates, avoid Ebola treatment hospitals, and upon
return, monitor you health for the next 21 days and get immediate help if any symptoms
arise. If symptoms do arise, you will be quarantined under the United States law.
("Prevention." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

The start of an Ebola outbreak is

unknown to scientists because they have
not yet identified what the natural host of
the virus is. It is believed that the first
contact was from an infected animal, being
that of a fruit bat or a primate. From this
initial contact, we create what they call the
spillover event. Person-to-person
transmission follows and can lead to large
numbers of affected people. (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention:

West Africa Ebola Outbreak. Digital

image. Enki Charity. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Nov. 2014.

Transmission) Ebola is spread to others from direct contact with either blood, body
fluids, objects contaminated with the virus, and infects fruit bats or primates.
("Transmission." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

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According to the WHO outbreak communication guidelines it is evident that its

main goal is to communicate with the public to build and maintain or restore trust. The
main players of the trust triangle are the communicators, technical staff and
policymakers. "It is best to announce as early as possible because people overestimate the
risk if information is withheld or leaked from an outside source but the communication
must be candid, easily understood, complete and factually accurate" WHO has said. It is
also mentioned in the guidelines that public concerns must be acknowledged.
(Shannawaz, Mohd. "Dealing With Ebola.")

Ebola has raised the attention of many citizens in America as well as around the
world. If we as spectators and listeners were to actually educate ourselves to the right
news being given to us, we would come to understand just how avoidable Ebola is. We
can avoid this disease easier than the common cold. Ebola isnt airborne, so make sure
you clean and wash your hands when dealing with people or objects that may have come
into contact with someone who has the disease. The statistics of death rates are quite
frightening for sure, but educating ourselves in the precautionary measures we needed to
prevent the disease, we can reduce those numbers significantly. America is also doing a
great job isolating those who are at risk or have symptoms of the disease. By studying
this disease I have come to understand what the virus actually looks like, what the
symptoms are, and when it becomes transmittable. As the last paragraph stated, it has
come to a point that we need to put out all information about Ebola, because if it has been

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brought to the attention of the viewers by another media source, then people will blow it
out of proportion. If we had so many cases in the past as well, why are we so worried
about getting it all of a sudden? Nothing will change the pasts statistics, but with the
technology and new information we have in our present day about this disease, we have
done almost all we can for now.

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Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
25 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Dwyer, Devin, and Mary Bruce. "Obama Uses Hugs And Kisses to Ease Ebola Fears."
ABC News. ABC News Network, 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Lupkin, Sydney. "Ebola in America: Timeline of the Deadly Virus." ABC News. ABC
News Network, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Is It Flu or Ebola? (n.d.): n. pag. Is It Flu or Ebola? 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
WHO, and CNN. Ebola Outbreak. Digital image. N.p., 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Nov.
2014.
Symptoms of Ebola. 2014. N.p. By Mikael Hggstrm.
"Ebola Threat Eases." BMJ: British Medical Journal 310.6991 (1995): 1353. West Africa
Ebola Outbreak. Web
Shannawaz, Mohd. "Dealing With Ebola." N.p., 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
"Prevention." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 05 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
"Transmission." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
West Africa Ebola Outbreak. Digital image. Enki Charity. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.