A rare but very serious disease that threatens not only health but also the lives of people in Africa and other countries is Ebola. When infected with this virus, death can reach 90%. While there is no official vaccine, however, scientists are progressively acting in this direction, and what they have come to, we learn from this article. We will also find out the symptoms of this fever, preventive measures, and, of course, when can you still expect the appearance of a drug against the Ebola virus in Russia and the world.
Infection pathways
This ailment can overtake a person in such situations:
- If he was in contact with the affected face (there was contact with blood, tears, sperm, saliva).
- Scientists and doctors even say that after the death of a person can be infected by contact with bodily fluids.
- If he was in contact with a sick animal, most often these are monkeys or bats.
This disease enters the body through mucous membranes and damaged skin, enters the bloodstream, and after a few days (from 2 to 21 days the incubation period lasts), the disease begins to appear.
Symptomatology
The Ebola virus vaccine is a cure for fever, and scientists are still trying to make a drug against pathogens, but this is too early to say, because the ideal option has not yet been found. But dwell on the symptoms of this ailment, which are expressed in the following:
- There is a fever, weakness, chills, headache, vomiting, diarrhea.
- After the first symptoms, additional ones appear: dry cough, colic in the chest area.
- After 5-6 days, there are signs of dehydration, the liver and kidneys are disturbed.
- Dark small rash is another intermittent symptom of the Ebola virus.
- The presence of bleeding from the nose and mouth - such indicators occur in 50% of patients.
Unfortunately, death often occurs as early as 8–10 days due to renal failure and cerebral edema.
How to protect yourself?
Since the protection against Ebola fever - the vaccine - has not yet been withdrawn, it follows that there are no specific measures aimed at preventing or eliminating this ailment. Therefore, it is necessary to protect yourself and your family from possible infection, and for this you should use these tips:
- It is better to avoid visiting those countries in which outbreaks of the disease are registered.
- People who are still located in such territories should observe personal hygiene, refrain from contact with animals (most often they become infected from monkeys and bats), as well as with sick people.
- It is necessary to wear a face mask, long-sleeved clothing and gloves if the person cares for the affected person.
- If the first signs of an illness appear within 21 days after a trip to African countries, you need to urgently seek help from specialists, tell the doctor about the time and place of stay abroad, tell about possible contact with animals, sick people.
Until the vaccine is withdrawn, the prevention of this dangerous ailment is the only chance of salvation.
How is fever treated in the world?
First of all, it is necessary to prevent dehydration of the body. For this, fluid replenishment is carried out intravenously or orally. If there is such a need, then respiratory support and homeostatic therapy are additionally carried out. The vaccine from the Ebola virus was not made by pharmacological companies, since for them it turned out to be unprofitable due to the small market for the drug.
However, due attention was paid to this issue: several American companies developed the drug and conducted its successful experiments on animals. But this fact was not initially made public, because the United States authorities believed that the virus could be used as a biological weapon. Therefore, the Department of Defense of America and the National Institute of Health independently conducted experiments.
Currently, an anti-Ebola drug (a vaccine, experts say) is being tested on animals, and it is still unknown when it will begin to be used in relation to people.
Why haven’t they yet released a cure for this type of virus?
Pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to make the drug for the poor, because for such corporations the market seems small. These firms felt that the Ebola vaccine would not bring them profit. They argue their arguments with the following: an outbreak of fever was recorded only in small areas, and even within Africa. They also believe that people from other continents will not be affected by this disease. And, of course, the infected population are people who live in the poorest areas of Africa, which means they cannot pay for a new vaccine. Therefore, pharmaceutical corporations find this market unpromising. Huge enterprises will wait for the fever to reach other continents, spread all over the world. And voicing what they want is not accepted: corporations need a moment when enough potential buyers from Europe, the USA, Australia, and South America are infected.
There is an exit?
But how to prevent the penetration of this fever on other continents so that it does not kill people? Now you need to wait for financial support from developed countries or to hope that these leading countries of the world can still negotiate with pharmacist corporations to recover damages for the production of a medicine for Africa that cannot pay for itself, and the Ebola vaccine is not available to it.
But still there are states that at least somehow help the poor people from the hot continent. Great Britain took an active position, which allocated more than £ 100 million for this purpose. With this money, the country's authorities decided to send 750 troops to Africa, about 1,000 medical personnel to provide the necessary assistance to the victims of the Ebola virus.
America also provides support to the people of this continent, the authorities sent their people to Liberia. The French government decided to help people from Guinea, where there are also outbreaks of this fever.
However, these actions are only a priceless, but still a drop in the ocean. In the meantime, the rich powers are looking for money to produce a drug for this fever, African people are dying before our eyes.
Conducting experiments in Russia
In our country, a vaccine against the Ebola virus is also being created. According to the Minister of Health of Russia Veronika Skvortsova, in 2015, directions will be developed for the development of four drugs that can defeat the virus. The vaccine will be made from the “killed” Ebola strain, and the other three will be genetically engineered. The drugs will be inactivated, that is, "inanimate."
Also V. Skvortsova told the good news that Russian scientists have developed a new medicine called “Triazaverin” in the form of capsules. This drug is very effective in managing Marburg fever, which is similar to Ebola disease. Therefore, now this drug is also being tested on strains of the virus brought from African countries.
When to wait for the drug in Russia?
So far, we have nothing to fear, since there have not yet been cases where the Ebola virus has entered the country. The vaccine in Russia may be ready by 2016. The Ministry of Health of the country informed the public about this. But, besides the fact that it will already be available, it also takes time to fulfill a number of requirements. It is necessary to obtain permits for its use in humans. So far, preclinical trials are being conducted, a dossier will be compiled based on their results. Scientists plan that in March Russia will be able to inform WHO about the possible use of the vaccine in humans. After that, the World Health Organization should publish its recommendations and designate the country where the next stage of the study will be held. Therefore, it’s too early to talk about vaccinating people, because much more needs to be done to defeat this African fever.
Ebola Facts
1. Why such a name? The fever got its name from the place in which it was first discovered. The Ebola River (in the Republic of Congo) is located next to the point where the first case was recorded.
2. The beginning of infection. There is evidence that in Africa this epidemic has spread from animals, in particular, from bats. People ate poorly fried meat and thus became infected.
3. The first flash. In 1975, there was a case of this virus, and it was in the Republic of Congo. Then 318 people were infected, 280 of them died.
4. Current statistics. In August 2014, 1779 cases of the virus were registered, 961 were fatal.
Now you know what fever is that is raging in West Africa, and have realized how dangerous it is for humans. The Ebola virus vaccine is being developed by several countries, including Russia, but so far it has been tested on animals. And so that the fever does not reach the inhabitants of other continents, the world community needs to “wake up” and understand how easily this disease can penetrate into any country. While there is no cure for this disease, therefore, it remains only to observe basic preventive measures so as not to become infected with the Ebola virus.