Turn essay into a letter

DeVry University

Ebola is Manageable

A dog was put to death in Spain for fear that it may have contracted Ebola from its owner, who was infected by the disease. The action might have been an overreaction on the part of Spain's officials, but it showed the fears of the general public. The media has been overflowing with Ebola news ever since the outbreak of the epidemic in West Africa, but more so because the disease has infiltrated the United States with the first confirmed case being reported in Dallas. One might understand that the public has every right to be fearful, even paranoid of Ebola, but their feelings are based on limited information concerning Ebola. With the right information concerning facts, transmission, and management of the disease, the public may change there attitude towards Ebola. Though the disease has spread at an alarming rate, it is possible to manage Ebola so as to prevent further loss of lives.

Facts regarding Ebola

In March 2014, an Ebola epidemic was reported in West Africa, and it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States of America, other parts of Africa, and Spain. Ebola is a rare disease caused by the Ebola virus. The Ebola virus was first reported in 1976 near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It affects both humans and nonhuman primates such as monkeys and gorillas. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCC, 2014), 3,400 people have died from the disease, the most affected regions being Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.

What Causes Ebola?

Ebola has only one cause that is the infection of the Ebola Virus. There are no any other probable causes of Ebola.

Causes of Ebola: The Ebola Virus

The Ebola virus originated from a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the first acknowledgement of the disease was conducted. The Ebola virus is one of the two members of the RNA virus family known as Filoviridae. There are four subtypes of Ebola Virus that have been identified in which three of the four are responsible for the disease in humans (Sullivan et.al, 2003).

Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast and the final subtype is the Ebola-Reston that has caused disease in primates that are non-human and not humans. The actual origin, location and natural habitat of the Ebola Virus still remains unknown, however, on the basis of the available proof and nature of viruses that are similar, it is believed that the Ebola virus lives in an animal host that remains to be native in Africa. The exact animal is still yet not known.

There is still uncertainty regarding the animal host for the Ebola virus as well us how the Ebola virus outbreak occurs. There is a hypothesis by researchers that the first continent patient of Ebola acquires the virus through contact with an animal that is infected (Sullivan et.al, 2003).

Causes of Ebola: Transmission

The moment the Ebola virus infects the first person, scientists understand that the spread of the Ebola virus is from human to human and it occurs though direct contact with patients having Ebola or their body fluids, like blood and secretions. The spread usually occurs during the final stages of the Ebola transmission (Sullivan et.al, 2003). The acquisition of Ebola virus does not make a person be sick immediately, the victim remains normal for about 2-21 days. However, there is the multiplication of the Ebola virus in his or her body. The time frame between the transmission of the virus and the start of the Ebola symptoms is called the Ebola incubation period.

Ebola is not spread through food, air, or water. It is also not spread through insects such as mosquitoes or ants. As such, the chances of it becoming a worldwide epidemic are quite rare as it has been well managed, with infected people isolated from the rest of the public, and those in contact with the infected are kept in quarantine to be evaluated for the disease and to prevent further spread to other people. As compared to other diseases, Ebola has a low transmission rate. For every infected Ebola person, two other people are at risk of being infected. This is such a low transmission rate, as HIV has a transmission of four people, smallpox seven people, and measles eighteen people (Kucharski, Nishiura, & Deeks, 2013). The public do not have a reason for fearing the disease, and they should regard it just like any other infection whose chances of transmission are low.

Common Ebola Symptoms

The twitch of Ebola symptoms is fairly often sudden. Common symptoms of Ebola can include: Fever, Sore throat, Weakness, Severe headache, Joint and a muscle aches, Vomiting, Dehydration, Dry, hacking cough, Stomach pain.

In expectant women, abortion (miscarriage) and substantial vaginal hemorrhage are collective Ebola symptoms. Death typically occurs in the second week of Ebola signs. Death in Ebola victims is from enormous blood loss (Sullivan et.al, 2003).

In cases of Ebola, signs characteristically start to develop within about four to six days after being infected. During the creation of Ebola diagnosis, the medical practitioners do ask about the patient's medical history. And even conduct a physical exam. Early Ebola diagnosis tends to be difficult due to the understanding that early signs of Ebola can be similar to those seen with other medical conditions. The doctors may, therefore, always order for lab tests that reveal the virus or antibodies that trigger the body to fight the Ebola virus.

Reasons for public paranoia

One of the reasons that have led to the public expressing fears that Ebola can neither be controlled nor halted is that major airlines have withdrawn their activities from the West African region, and placed screening checkpoints to assess passengers for the disease. This has presented the perception that the country is under attack from the disease. There have been many cases of misdiagnosis, where individuals infected with other diseases are first thought of as having Ebola, but are later cleared from the disease (Lena, Dennis, & Bernstein, 2014). Such news spread quite fast, with the public being in a frenzy concerning the likelihood of them being infected as well.

The public has developed the perception that if a developed nation such as the U.S. Can be under attack from the disease, the relevant government and health agencies have failed in containing Ebola. Despite the precautionary measures that have been taken to curb the spread of the disease, a D.C. Hospital has confirmed the first Ebola case on American land. As expected, this has created fear and paranoia within the public, with the Washington Post stating that the medical practitioners are unable to manage the spread of the disease. The news center states that the U.S. has derailed in its response to the epidemic, and only responded six months after it learned of the outbreak of the disease (Lena, Dennis, & Bernstein, 2014). Overall, their ineffective measures may not offer strong resistance against the spread of the disease.

Ebola Diagnosis: An Overview

An Ebola diagnosis involves asking of questions by a doctor regarding the present medical situation of a person, family history as well as the current medication undertaken by the patient. A lab test exam is also involved in the diagnosis so that the virus can be identified as well as the antibodies generated by the body to kill the virus (Sanchez, 2001). 

Challenges of Diagnosing Ebola

Early diagnosis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in a person can be difficult. A person infected only a few days will have quick Ebola symptoms, like the red eyes and a skin rash, that are not particular to the Ebola virus and are seen in other patients with conditions that happen occasionally.

Ebola Cure

There is no cure to Ebola other than time. On the onset of Ebola symptoms, supportive care can only be offered by healthcare providers. Regardless of this care, death still occurs in 50 to 90 percent of cases. The search for a vaccine is still underway and in as much as it will not be a cure to Ebola it is believed that it will prevent Ebola hemorrhagic fever from developing in the first place (Sanchez, 2001). The vaccine is still being tested.

Hope for eradication

Behavior change is key to the Ebola eradication. The scientist who identified Ebola stated that the best way to contain the disease is through using protective clothing, proper sanitation, isolating patients, and quarantining people who haas been in contact with the affected. Proper preventive measures help to curb the spread of the disease. The public should be taught to avoid close contact with people suspected of infection (Kucharski, Nishiura, & Deeks, 2013).

Scientists have come up with a vaccine that will help cure the Ebola virus. Naik (2014) reported that a new vaccine has cured monkeys infected with the disease and has also been seen to work in two Liberian patients. The vaccine works by providing the human body with antibodies that fight off the disease up to five days after infection. Scientists are also working to tests to detect the disease early, a factor that improves the outcome of the patient. (Sullivan et.al, 2003).

In conclusion, it is possible to contain Ebola so as to prevent avert loss of lives, though the disease has spread at an alarming rate. Without doubt, Ebola is a disease that kills most of the people who get infected. The rate at which the disease is spreading is quite alarming, but the virus is manageable (Sullivan et.al, 2003). Through behavior change entailing proper protective measures and isolation of the infected and those they have been in contact with, and scientific breakthroughs that present the introduction of new drugs and vaccines, Ebola can be controlled and managed, and the public has to have faith in Science, medical doctors, and disease-control agencies, as it is just a matter of time before the disease is eradicated from the face of the earth.

References

Kucharski, J., Nishiura, H., & Deeks, L. (2013). Containing Ebola virus infection in West Africa. Euro surveillance: bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles= European communicable disease bulletin, 19(36).