Back in 1976, they first talked about the Ebola virus. But the most famous was the epidemic that began in the summer of 2014. Then in a short period of time more than 900 people from 1700 cases died from the virus. But after a few months, everyone forgot about the disease, and now many are interested in where the Ebola went.
Disease characteristics
The outbreak of the 2014 epidemic began in the summer of Central Africa. The region of Congo has suffered the most. The virus is transmitted only by direct contact of a healthy person with the blood or other body fluids of the patient. This disease is not transmitted by airborne droplets.
Ebola cases were reported, as a rule, in
African countries. In 2014, the epidemic was in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, DRC, Senegal, Mali. But there have been reported cases of diseases of residents of Spain, the UK, the United States. True, the virus has not spread in these countries. The virus was brought to Spain and the United States by travelers from Africa.
Distribution paths
It is worth noting that you can become infected even by contact with a deceased or embalmed person, by touching contaminated equipment. For example, the virus has spread so widely in
African countries due to the fact that hospital workers there do not use special protective clothing. The universal necessary precautions are not particularly popular with them, because of this the spread of viruses is more active. The situation is also aggravated by the fact that in those countries needles are often reused.
If all safety measures are followed, you can be sure that the Ebola virus will not spread in the world. This is also confirmed by the fact that people who became ill in African countries upon arrival to their homeland did not become a source of mass infection.
Pathogenesis
Outside hospitals, the virus can spread as actively as inside them. You can get infected through the mucous membranes and microtraumas of the skin. The incubation period can last from 2 to 21 days.
For this infection, the appearance of signs of general intoxication and a violation of blood coagulation are characteristic. In patients, the temperature suddenly rises, pains in the throat, muscles and head appear. They also complain of general weakness. In many cases, the disease is accompanied by vomiting, rash, diarrhea, and liver and kidney problems. Sometimes external or internal bleeding opens. Analyzes show a
low level of platelets and white blood cells, while the concentration of liver enzymes increases.
The development of bleeding indicates a possible poor prognosis. If the patient does not recover in 7-16 days, then the likelihood of a fatal outcome increases markedly. Most often, death occurs from bleeding in the second week of the disease.
Epidemic stop
In 2014, everyone was talking about the possible spread of the virus. But the conversations quickly subsided, and people began to wonder where the Ebola had gone. Many suggest that these were just rumors. But this is not so; the virus does exist.
Given the fact that in developed countries, hospital conditions prevent further infection, the epidemic will not start in the civilized world. In African countries, the spread of the virus is still ongoing primarily due to the fact that patients do not comply with the necessary quarantine measures. Moreover, the established African custom of washing the dead bodies complicates the situation. People who do this also run the risk of contracting Ebola.
Is there a problem?
Of course, the 2014 epidemic was remembered by everyone. But over time, interest in this topic subsided, and by the beginning of 2015, everyone was thinking where the Ebola had gone. In fact, in Africa, it was not possible to get rid of this disease.
During the period from April 2014 to December 2015, Zairian ebolavirus affected more than 27 thousand people. Of these, more than 11 thousand died. Mortality was 41%. But do not think that 2016 began without incident. In January, over 100 Ebola virus infections were reported in the West African country of Sierra Leone.
To prevent the spread of the disease in the summer of 2015, the government imposed a curfew on 21 days, which was supposed to last from 18 o’clock in the evening to 6 in the morning. This rule applied to some areas located in the northern part of the country. In addition, residents were barred from traveling to the northern regions of Cambia and Porto Loko.
A survey of people in areas of mass infection showed that 7% of the population has antibodies in the blood. This suggests that in some the disease was asymptomatic or mild.
Vaccination
You can prevent the development of the disease and protect people with preventive measures. Therefore, the Ebola vaccine is so important. Its creation was funded mainly by the United States. In this country they feared that this virus could be used as a biological weapon.
Development is not finished yet. The American vaccine has been successfully tested on animals. Moreover, two companies from the USA have already begun to conduct human research. In 2014, scientists managed to figure out the mechanism by which the Ebola virus disrupts the immune system. And in the summer of 2015, WHO already announced that vaccine efficacy trials were successful. She was tested on 4 thousand volunteers from Guinea.
They are also developing vaccines in Russia. The created drug showed excellent effectiveness, so scientists hope that it will be used along with Western counterparts. It is planned that the Russian vaccine will be delivered to Guinea in the spring of 2016. According to plans, it should be produced in an amount of about 10 thousand copies per month. If vaccination is made mandatory, then everyone will understand where the Ebola went.