August 11, 2014
Ebola viral infection is real. It is highly unlikely to affect us despite the fact that two missionaries have returned to Emory University in Atlanta for treatment with a new experimental drug.
The movie Outbreak was a reasonably true to life scenario of an Ebola outbreak without the militarization of it. This virus is deadly and kills swiftly. Often too swiftly for long term spread and damage like influenza.
From the CDC: Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
The natural reservoir host of ebola viri remains unknown. However, on the basis of available evidence and the nature of similar viri, researchers believe that the virus is zoonotic (animal-borne) with bats being the most likely reservoir. Four of the five subtypes occur in an animal host native to Africa.
The illness starts within 2-21 days of exposure to infected bodily fluids (blood, saliva primarily) of a human or animal like the bat. Early on it looks like many other viral infections. Symptoms start with sore throat, body aches and fever. Then symptoms progress to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and kidney dysfunction/dehydration. Continued progression occurs in a large percentage of infected people to bleeding from the gums, intestines, skin and so on. Mortality is between 50 and 90% depending on the strain.
The current outbreak is spreading rapidly in Africa mostly because of poor health care systems and public misinformation that is affecting a quarantine system. Roughly a thousand people have died so far making it the worst Ebola outbreak in history. However, in comparison the influenza illness which ravages the United States annually has a death rate between 3000 to 49000 per year for the last 40 years.
Ebola is one of the most feared viral diseases on the planet for obvious reasons. I encourage you to read the CDC site for informational purposes only, knowing that our risk is exceedingly low.
Knowledge is power and safety,
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