History of Ebola Virus

1976 photograph of two nurses standing in front ofMayinga N., a patient with Ebola virus disease; she died only a few days later due to severe internal hemorrhaging.ICD-10A98.4ICD-9065.8DiseasesDB18043MedlinePlus001339eMedicinemed/626MeSHD019142Ebola virus disease(EVD) orEbola hemorrhagic fever(EHF) is the human disease caused by theEbola virus. Symptoms typically start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus, with afever, throat and muscle pains, andheadaches. There is then typicallynausea, vomiting, anddiarrhea, along with decreased functioning oftheliverandkidneys. At this point, some people begin to have problems withbleeding.[1]The disease can be acquired when aperson comes into contact with thebloodorbodily fluidsof an infected animal such as a monkey orfruit bat. Fruit bats are believed to carry and spread the virus without being affected by it. Once infection of a human occurs, the disease may be spread from one person to another.Male survivors may be able to transmit the disease via theirsemenfor nearly two months. To make the diagnosis, typically other diseases with similar symptoms such asmalaria,choleraand otherviral hemorrhagic feverare first excluded. The blood may then be tested forantibodiesto the virus, orthe viralRNA, or the virus itself, to confirm the diagnosis.[1]Prevention includes decreasing the spread of the disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking these types of animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of thebodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may also be helpful, as is wearing protective clothing andwashing handswhen around a person who has the disease. Samples of bodily fluids and tissuesfrom people with the disease should be handled with special. ref. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_disease