Fear of the spread of Ebola through international travel

Introduction
The Ebola virus disease first appeared in 1976, the current Ebola
outbreak is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the
virus was discovered. The Ebola virus is spreading between countries
through international travel. In an attempt by individual countries to
contain the virus there have been several incidents involving modes of
international travel, In this essay I will discuss some of these
incidents. (WHO,2014)

Ebola and its symptoms

The Ebola virus disease also known as Ebola hemorrhagic disease is caused by four different
strains of Ebola viruses. The viruses can infect both humans and non-human primates. As
mentioned previously Ebola viruses were discovered in 1976, there have been a few out-breaks
since then including the current unpredictable epidemic in Africa (Davis, C. 2014). The first signs
of Ebola appear after around 2 to 21 days where patients may show signs of:
- Abrupt fever
- Headache
- Joint pain
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat
- Weakness
As the Ebola virus progresses the symptoms are:
-

Diarrhea
Vomiting
Stomach pain
Hiccups
Rash
Internal and external bleeding in many patients

The Ebola virus in mainly found in primates in Africa and spreads by direct contact with the
blood and secretion of an infected person as well as by needles and syringes used to treat Ebola
patients. Early diagnoses of Ebola is challenging as the symptoms are non-specific (Davis, C.
2014) and could be mistaken for a regular fever as the first symptoms are similar to those of a

regular fever. There isnt a standard treatment for Ebola, however supportive therapy is being
used to treat Ebola patients. Many people died from the Ebola virus disease , what makes it
more complicated is that it is difficult to prevent the Ebola virus disease from spreading.
International organizations, associations and governments are trying to contain the Ebola virus
from spreading. The countries that are heavily affected by the Ebola virus are Liberia, Sierra,
Leone and Guinea (United Nations, 2014).