What is EVD, Ebola Virus Disease ?

Image from TIME

What is the Ebola Virus Disease ( EVD ) ? #Ebola #EVD

 Ebola virus disease ( EVD ) was formerly known as hemorrhagic fever and one of at least 30 known viruses that is capable of causing hemorrhagic fever syndrome much like the viruses that cause Dengue Hemorrhagic fever spread by mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti).

Ebola virus of the Filovirus family was first discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo near the Ebola River and since then was found in Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The disease is spread by close contact of body fluids, infected blood, body tissue and possibly air borne. Transmission maybe by primary exposure  which usually is travel or stay at Ebola endemic area or by secondary exposure  like human to human contact like family caregivers and  medical caregivers .

 Early sign and symptoms of the disease may include fever and chills, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain, pharyngitis, maculopapular rash, bilateral conjunctival injection.  Later findings may include myocarditis and pulmonary edema, bleeding from mucous membrane, hypotension, tachypnea, anuria and coma. Incubation period in human infections with African-derived Ebolavirus species is typically 3-8 days and slightly longer in some cases.

    At present there is no known specific therapy available that is proven effective for the treatment of Ebola hemorrhagic fever and also no commercially available vaccine. Management is mainly supportive but may include replacement of coagulation factors and heparin if disseminated intravascular coagulation appears.

Prognosis for the disease list mortality rates ranging from 50 to 90 percent that usually arises from disseminated intravascular coagulation.

    It is interesting to note among us Filipinos that the fourth Ebola virus species, the Reston ebolavirus was first isolated in 1989( Reston, Virginia) in macaque monkeys imported from a single Philippine exporter and in 1992 in Siena Italy, a virtually identical isolate came from the same Philippine exporter. Up to this date, this species has not been documented to cause human disease and that's good news.

Palawan monkey

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 Articles on this blog should be taken for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace actual medical advice and consultation with a physician and other health practitioners.