The prevalence of disease outbreak is increasing globally, especially due to a change in lifestyle and the ease of moving from one place to another. Specifically, Ebola virus outbreak is increasingly becoming common, particularly in developing countries in West Africa. Unfortunately, Ebola outbreak can rapidly spread across borders because it can easily be transmitted from one person to another through contact. The worst cases of Ebola outbreak in human history occurred between 2013 and 2016 and many countries across the world ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . Illiteracy and poor response are some of the primary reasons why the Ebola virus outbreak continues to kill and affects many people.
Communicable Disease: Ebola Virus
Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is one of the fatal diseases that is affecting human beings, and it leads to many deaths if not contained or controlled. Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family, and it was first discovered in 1976 in Nzara, South Sudan ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . Ebola virus is mainly transmitted to human beings through wild animals, especially fruit bats that are believed to be the natural host of the virus. The disease spread to human beings through human-to-human contact with fluids such as blood, secretions, and organs. The virus has a substantial epidemic potential when it is not controlled.
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Description of the of the West Africa Ebola Virus Outbreak (2013-2016)
West Africa Ebola virus outbreak that occurred between 2013 and 2016 was highly fatal, especially based on the number who died and those who died. The estimated number of people who were affected by Ebola virus during the outbreak was 28,646 while those who died were 11,323, making it the worst Ebola virus epidemic globally ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . West Africa and the world at large struggled to contain the spread of the disease for nearly three years. Consequently, it affected people in many countries. The major countries that were affected by the outbreak included Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. However, it also spread to other countries like Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, USA, United Kingdom, and Spain.
The outbreak started in Guinea before spreading to other countries. The first case of Ebola virus in Guinea was discovered on December 2013. Nevertheless, it was not until March 10, 2014, when the Guinea government suspected the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . The Ministry of Health in the country was notified of a mysterious disease that had symptoms of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea and was killing many people in southeast Guinea. A team of experts that was sent in the area confirmed that it was Ebola virus. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Ebola virus outbreak on March 23, 2014 ( Coltart et al ., 2017) .
The disease gradually spread to other affected countries at different dates. Ebola virus was discovered in Liberia on March 30, 2014, which was eight days after the outbreak was declared by the WHO ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . In Liberia, Ebola virus was first discovered in Foya district, which borders Guinea as well as Sierra Leone. From Liberia, the disease was discovered in Sierra Leone when a young woman was diagnosed with Ebola virus on May 25, 2014 ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . The woman was living in Kenema, one of the largest cities in Sierra Leone. The Ebola virus outbreak was reported in Nigeria on July 23, 2014, and in Mali on October 24, 2014. Therefore, the disease spread to many countries in West Africa in 2014. In Senegal, Ebola virus was discovered on August 29, 2014, after a traveler from Guinea was diagnosed with the disease.
The case of Ebola virus was also declared in the USA on September 30, 2014, after a Liberian national who was visiting his family members in Dallas tested positive for the Ebola virus. Another case of the diseases was discovered in December 2014 when a medical practitioner returned from Guinea ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . In the UK, the disease was discovered on December 29, 2014, when a health care worker returned from Sierra Leone. Finally, Ebola virus was detected in Spain on October 6, 2014, when a health care worker tested positive for the diseases after she returned from Sierra Leone ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . Hence, the outbreak spread to all the affected countries within a year.
The Epidemiological Determinants and Risk Factors Associated Ebola Virus Outbreak
Many epidemiological determinants and risks factors were linked to the Ebola virus outbreak that was experienced between 2013 and 2016. The challenges that are linked to diagnosis Ebola virus is one of the reasons why it spreads to many countries and affects many people whenever there is an outbreak ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . Testing of venipuncture blood is the main diagnostic method that is used to test Ebola virus, especially in developing countries. However, it is not effective because it does not always give accurate and fast results. Poor testing of Ebola virus partly contributed to the spread of the disease in West Africa.
Another major factor that enhanced the Spread of Ebola virus in West Africa was the poor health-seeking behaviors of the local communities. For long, many communities in West Africa have been relying on traditional medicine to cure some diseases and health problems that affect them ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . Although traditional medicines are effective in curing some of the diseases, it has a negative impact on the behaviors towards formal medicines or pharmaceuticals. Consequently, there were a lot of fears and anxiety when people in West Africa where the Ebola virus was detected were being encouraged to seek proper medication. The fear and anxiety made the local refrain from taking medicine and ran away from hospitals to take traditional medicine ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . The perception that those pharmaceutical drugs are not effective was a factor that escalated the spread of Ebola virus in West Africa, as people were not ready to take the recommended drugs and medication.
The second major factor was the high rate of bushmeat consumption in West Africa countries. Bushmeat is a critical source of food for many people living in Liberia, Congo, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. For example in Liberia, bushmeat accounts for about 75% of the total meat consumed in the country ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . However, bushmeat consumption is a risks factor because animals such as chimpanzee and gorillas can increase the spread of the Ebola virus. For instance, the disease killed almost 5000 animals during the Ebola outbreak in the Congo between 2002 and 2003 ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . High consumption of bushmeat can increase the risk of contracting or suffering from Ebola.
Cultural issues also increase the risks of Ebola outbreak. The culture of society plays a role in the transmission and containment of diseases such as Ebola. For instance, in Guinea, the culture of washing and touch dead people contributed to the spread of the Ebola virus significantly during the outbreak ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . The culture of taking care of sick people by family members in West Africa also contributed a lot to the rapid spread of the disease during the outbreak. Besides, human mobility has increased substantially due to modern transport technologies ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . Ebola was spread from Guinea to other countries mainly by travelers. The ease of healthcare workers to move from one country to another also made the disease to spread to countries such as the USA, Spain, and the UK. Therefore, many factors contributed to the spread of the Ebola virus during the West Africa outbreak.
The Route of Transmitting Ebola Virus
Ebola virus is transmitted from one person to another through close and direct physical contact with people who have bodily affected fluids. The most infectious body fluids that transit Ebola virus is blood, vomit, and feces ( Coltart et al ., 2017) . Other fluids that can transmit Ebola virus from one person to another are breast milk, semen, and urine. Besides, it is also possible for saliva and tears to contain Ebola virus. However, contrary to the perception of many people, Ebola virus disease cannot be spread through air or water. Nonetheless, handling bushmeat and having physical contacts with affected bats can lead to the transmission of the diseases.
Impact of the Outbreak on the Community on a System Level
The outbreak of the Ebola virus has a significant impact in the community because it affects the operations of learning institutions, government, and healthcare sector. Ebola virus outbreak, therefore, would affect the operations of schools in my community by disrupting learning schedule. Many schools would be forced to close down to reduce the spread of the Ebola virus ( Calnan et al ., 2018) . However, in the case where the schools are not closed, parents would fear to take their children learning institutions to protect them against the diseases. Consequently, many education hours would be lost, resulting in a decline in the quality of education.
Apart from school, the outbreak would affect the local government in different ways. First, the local government would encounter financial constraint because of a significant increase in health expenditure. This could have led to a financial crisis, especially in the case where the local government was not prepared. Secondly, the outbreak would disrupt the operations of the local government due to lack of workforce or human resources. The people would fear to move to their offices, leading to the shortage of workers. Hence, the local government would be affected by the Ebola virus outbreak significantly.
Another system that would be affected by the Ebola virus outbreak would be the health sector. Health sector would be the worst affected by the Ebola virus outbreak. It would lead to congestion in hospitals as people would be seeking health care services at a given time ( Calnan et al ., 2018) . The congestion would lead to a decline in the quality of health care services and increases in easily transmitted diseases. The mortality rate would also rise because a lot of health resources would be directed to contain the outbreak.
Reporting Protocol
The main reporting protocol that would be used in the case of the outbreak in my community would be emergency notification and response protocol. The protocol requires the outbreak break to be declared by the senior person in the local health department. The information about the outbreak would be communicated to all relevant persons to take appropriate action, especially by attending to the needs of affected persons. Also, the public would be informed about the outbreak. Therefore, the communication would be reporting protocol would be hierarchical.
Strategies to Prevent the Outbreak in the Community
First, I would recommend the community education strategy that aims at increasing Ebola literacy among the public. The community education strategy would focus on the symptoms of the disease, how it is transmitted, and how to avoid the infection. People are likely to take appropriate health decisions, especially concerning seeking early testing in case of suspected symptoms when they are educated about the Ebola virus. Community education is one of the strategies to prevent Ebola virus outbreak ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . The second strategy would be to have an emergency plan in case of a suspected Ebola in the community ( Alexander et al ., 2015) . Various health entities would be equipped with proper Ebola treatment equipment and drugs. Medical personnel would also be trained to accurately diagnose Ebola virus to treat the patient within a short to avoid the spread.
Conclusion
Ebola virus disease is one of the deadly diseases that are not easy to contain or controls, especially in the case of an outbreak. The disease can easily be transmitted from one person to another through infected fluids like blood, saliva, feces, and milk breast. The outbreak of the Ebola virus In West Africa between 2013 and 2016 affected many people and countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, USA, UK, and Spain. The spread or outbreak of the diseases is linked to many biological and social factors. Therefore, it is important for countries plans to address the Ebola virus.
References
Alexander, K. A., Sanderson, C. E., Marathe, M., Lewis, B. L., Rivers, C. M., Shaman, J. ... & Eubank, S. (2015). What factors might have led to the emergence of Ebola in West Africa? PLoS neglected tropical diseases , 9 (6).
Calnan, M., Gadsby, E. W., Kondé, M. K., Diallo, A., & Rossman, J. S. (2018). The response to and impact of the Ebola epidemic: towards an agenda for interdisciplinary research. International journal of health policy and management , 7 (5), 402.
Coltart, C. E., Lindsey, B., Ghinai, I., Johnson, A. M., & Heymann, D. L. (2017). The Ebola outbreak, 2013–2016: old lessons for new epidemics. Philosophical. Transactions Royal Societies , 372 (1721).
