Ebola ... Messages about it have been replete with the Internet for several months, not a single television news item is complete without them. Just a couple of months ago, it was considered a regional problem, and doctors claimed that the disease would not spread from Africa. Meanwhile, at least two US citizens were already infected. A few more are hospitalized or are at home (it is forbidden to go outside). So what is it, how to deal with this disease, and how is Ebola fever transmitted? And are there great chances of her appearing in Russia? Employees of Rospotrebnadzor argue that the minimum. However, at present, students from African countries studying in our country are undergoing a special examination. And travel agencies were obliged to warn Russian tourists traveling to the "black continent" in which countries Ebola has already spread.
Virus
The disease is caused by the virus of the same name - the oldest form of life. It is an RNA molecule placed in a special protective shell. This is the so-called filovirus. It penetrates the cells of the human body and releases its gene material into the cytoplasm. As a result, the cell begins to reproduce the proteins necessary for the virus. They are needed for its reproduction. In most cases, the cell itself is destroyed.
Ebola virus bypasses the body's defense mechanisms . It neutralizes the effect of interferon - the substance responsible for combating external threats to the cell.
In general, viruses are amazing and mysterious organisms. They are on the border of living and nonliving. After all, they have no metabolism, they themselves do not move and can only function inside the cells of the host organism. Viruses are parasites. Until now, scientists can not come to an unambiguous conclusion about their origin. Meanwhile, this is the largest kingdom. Viruses are everywhere. For example, there are about a million of them in a spoon of seawater! In one, scientists agree: these carriers of genetic information have arisen a very, very long time ago. And their role in the evolution of living beings is great. Indeed, only a person has almost a third of the genes similar to the genes of viruses!
Hemorrhagic fever
So scientifically called Ebola. What is hiding this term? All such diseases are viral. In the general case, vascular cells are affected. Hence the heavy bleeding. There are several types of hemorrhagic fevers, and all of them are associated with different viruses. The latter are transferred either by their natural hosts (reservoirs) or by intermediate living organisms. For hemorrhagic fevers, rodents, such as field mice , often serve as carriers (for Ebola, these are volatile, eating fruit).
This type of disease is very dangerous for humans, although some have already created vaccines. Often patients die from the development of toxic toxic shock and the failure of all organs. In the case of Ebola, there is also significant loss of blood.
Medical history
It is believed that the first case of the disease occurred in 1976. The virus has been identified in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo). It happened in the area of the Ebola River. Hence the name. Ebola in Sudan then claimed the lives of one hundred and fifty-one people. Two hundred and eighty died in Zaire itself.
It is possible that the locals were infected earlier. A recent study confirmed the presence of antibodies in the blood of seven percent of the population. This means that many have already had this disease.
To date, more than thirty cases of Ebola infection have been recorded worldwide. In ninety percent of cases, this happened on the African continent: nine countries have already been affected. But some, such as, for example, Tunisia, Ebola so far bypassed. Twice it was infected in Russia, and both under laboratory conditions: banal sloppiness of employees led to deaths.
Outbreaks of the disease on a relatively small scale occurred in the UK (1976 - 1 person was infected), the United States (1990 - 4 people) and the Philippines (in 1990 and 2008, a total of seven). Between 2000 and 2001, four hundred twenty-five people were infected with the Sudanese Ebola virus in Uganda. This was the largest outbreak of the disease until 2014. During the last Zairian virus modifications in Africa alone, more than seven thousand people were already infected, half of them died. What is the reason for this increase in the number of cases?
Last flash story
It began in Guinea at the end of 2013. On December 26, 2013, a two-year-old boy named Emil died, and his three-year-old sister died a week later. Moreover, how the first child became infected is still unknown. Then their closest relatives began to die. Some are already in neighboring Sierra Lyon and Liberia. Why were these countries not ready? And why, it would seem, the World Health Organization was forced to recognize a local problem as a global threat? New infections occur every day, and it is already clear how Ebola is transmitted between people, but will it be possible to stop it in the usual ways?
Underlying causes
Poverty, hunger and the poor state of medicine in the region, as well as insufficient public awareness, are the reasons that WHO (World Health Organization) points to. But perhaps the main thing is human greed. Ebola is a serious and complex disease. But vaccines are already being created for hemorrhagic fevers. But there is still no cure for Ebola. The thing is that its development requires serious efforts and large investments. And large pharmaceutical companies did not go for it, because the market was too narrow, and the vaccine or medicine would be very expensive. And with a meager income level, the inhabitants of those African countries where Ebola fever usually appears would hardly be able to buy it. Until a certain stage, research was carried out in one of the US military institutes, and even then in order to protect themselves from Ebola if someone was going to use it as a biological weapon. But after a couple of years, project financing was also closed. However, now that it became clear that it was not so easy to hide from the fever, the developed countries of the world nevertheless got involved in the work.
How is it transmitted to humans?
Since the disease is paradoxically little studied, we can only assume who is its carrier. Most scientists believe that the natural reservoir of Ebola is one of the species of bats.
The latter virus does no harm. These mice feed on fruits that they bite or drop pieces on the ground. And those, in turn, pick up primates, the virus for which is deadly. But no one can say with precision how exactly Ebola fever is passing from animal to animal, and its transmission in the forest is also almost unstudied. The latest outbreak threatens the extinction of the gorilla population in this region of Africa. How is Ebola transmitted to humans? It is known that local people often eat the meat of forest animals, including the brains of primates. In addition, due to large-scale deforestation, bats began to settle much closer to human habitation. And therefore, the fruits infected with them could be picked up or picked up by both adults and children.
How is Ebola transmitted among people?
Typically, the virus is transmitted through body fluids, such as blood, saliva, and mucous membranes. In addition, you can get infected through sperm. The gates of the virus are damage to the skin and mucous membranes.
So you can get infected with Ebola only in direct contact with the patient. To date, transmission of the virus from person to person by airborne droplets has not been recorded. Still, fever is considered one of the most contagious diseases. Perhaps because it is also transmitted through objects that people use.
Why so many sick?
The main strategy to combat the deadly virus, for which there is no cure, is strict quarantine. The area where the outbreak occurred should be completely closed. Obviously, they did not immediately decide to do this for ethical reasons. And when the fever spread to several countries, it became almost impossible. The next main reason for the enormous speed of spread was the illiteracy of the local population and doctors. At the first stages, it is difficult to determine what exactly is Ebola - a fever, the signs of which resemble a severe form of flu or malaria. And only when the patient begins to lose blood, there is a suspicion of hemorrhagic fever. Accurate diagnosis of the latter is possible only in a well-equipped laboratory.
In the early days and even weeks, outbreaks of patients were not placed in separate boxes, but in general tent camps. And there she already spread through not very neat doctors from one patient to another. The number of infected in this way is simply huge. Only doctors have died more than two hundred!
Local flavor
Another factor affecting the rate of spread of fever is illiteracy and low awareness of residents. Only a few months later, people with loudspeakers and memos began to walk around the villages, who told the population about the precautions and symptoms of the terrible disease. Meanwhile, a third of all infected are relatives and friends of those people who were infected at the very beginning. Here, an important role was played by local customs. According to the latter, people gathered for the funeral of their relatives and became infected from corpses. As with the washing of the latter. The virus is transmitted from the body of a dead person for another month. Perhaps there are other reasons - Ebola is still rampant.
Flash outlook
WHO argues that in the near future the growth in the number of cases in the region will be stopped. The main reason why Ebola is dangerous is the spread of the virus to other territories. For example, in Tunisia. Ebola has not yet reached it, but there, as in neighboring countries, they are already waiting for it and are very afraid of it. Recent news - The US is sending two thousand troops to fight the disease. How soldiers will help cope with the virus is understandable: in all likelihood, they will have to “close” the territory.
Cure for ebola
The creation of such a vaccine in the near future, according to many scientists, is unlikely. The reason for this lies both in insufficient knowledge of the virus and in the absence of the necessary components. It is already clear that African countries themselves will not be able to create a vaccine. In hospitals there is not even enough space for all patients at the moment. At the same time, the international community is making incredible efforts: funds are being allocated, and virologists from around the world are sent to combat a formidable disease.
How is fever treated now?
It is well known that during an ongoing outbreak, a fatal outcome is possible in fifty percent of cases. Mostly patients die of symptoms. This is a serious loss of blood, a shock condition, intoxication of the body and the failure of all organs.
So now, if the diagnosis is Ebola, treatment is basically supportive therapy. The patient is placed in a separate box, where he is given an intravenous nutrient solution. A person is either recovering or dying. According to some reports, experimental medicines sometimes help, but not all of them are available. A few more words about the latter. Previously, it was forbidden and considered unethical to use experimental drugs that did not pass the appropriate human trials for treatment. In the light of recent developments in Africa, WHO is already calling this necessary.
Doctors began to transfuse the blood of those who had a fever, which in seven out of eight cases gave a positive result. However, these procedures were carried out already in the later stages. And it is not yet clear what caused the recovery: proteins from the blood of rekovalent or immunity itself defeated the virus.
Symptoms
The latter appear in the interval from two days to three weeks from the moment a person is infected with the virus. It is believed that until they appear, the disease is not transmitted.
Ebola fever (symptoms) begins abruptly. Moreover, the initial manifestations are nonspecific: high fever, weakness, headache, tonsillitis, diarrhea. Later, vomiting and a rash appear. Dehydration develops, chest pains occur. Almost half of the cases develop a rash. Then it is already possible with a high probability to say that this is Ebola. These symptoms are specific. Eyes are bloodshot. Renal and liver function decreases. Mucous membranes begin to bleed: gums, nose, gastrointestinal tract, vagina. The latter indicates a high probability of death. Patients usually die in the second week of illness. If this does not happen in the interval from seven to sixteen days, the person recovers. After the disease, mental problems are possible for a long time, people lose much weight, hair falls out.
How not to get infected?
Today, Ebola is a fever, the signs of which are probably already known to all the inhabitants of the African continent. How not to get infected? Do not visit African countries during periods of outbreak of a dangerous disease. Do not contact sick people.
In addition, hemorrhagic fever (caused by other viruses against which there are already vaccines) can be infected in our area. Particular attention should be paid to agricultural workers, because these diseases are transmitted by field mice. Wash your hands thoroughly after working in the field. Do not eat on and off the ground. And if after work you suddenly have nonspecific symptoms mentioned above (and they are usually similar in all hemorrhagic fevers), consult a doctor immediately.