Initially referred to as hemorrhagic fever, Ebola is considered to be one of the deadliest viral diseases to have ever been discovered (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). It constitutes five strains in which four of them make individuals ill. As soon as the virus goes into the human body, it destroys cells and even makes a few of them burst out. It damages the immune system and causes heavy hemorrhaging within the body, eventually destroying almost every organ. Recent studies indicate that the standard Ebola disease casualty rate is about 50%, where case casualty rates have differed between 25% and 90% in earlier outbreaks (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). The first outbreak of Ebola took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire. It was then recorded as a second outbreak in what is presently South Sudan, about 500miles away from Zaire.
This paper will take a closer look at the virus and the countries involved. It will also provide a brief history of the date the outbreak was realized and the time this particular virus reached each involved nation. Analysis of the epidemiological determinants together with risk factors linked to the outbreak will be conducted, and the rout of transmission of Ebola highlighted. The paper will also take a look at how an epidemic of the Ebola virus would impact my society at a system level such as hospitals, local government, the operation of schools, and businesses. An explanation of what the reporting procedure would be if an epidemic of Ebola were to take place in my community will be provided, in addition to two strategies that are recommendable in preventing an outbreak of Ebola in my community. A conclusion will then be provided at the end.
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Discussion
The very first case of the Ebola virus was exposed in 1976 when two successive outbreaks of serious hemorrhagic fever took place in distinct regions of Central Africa (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014). Initially, the outbreak took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was then referred to as Zaire, in a remote rural community near the Ebola River, hence the name (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). The second recording was in what is presently South Sudan, about 500 miles/850 Km away from Zaire. At first, public health experts presumed that the recorded outbreaks were one occurrence that was then linked to an infected patient who had apparently travelled between the two places. However, they were to later acknowledge that the outbreaks were brought about by two hereditarily different viruses, which they name the Sudan ebolavirus and the Zaire ebolavirus (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). Additionally, it was also discovered that the virus emerged from two distinct sources and extended autonomously to individuals in the affected areas.
Notably, the recent outbreak that took place between 2014 and 2016 was considered the largest and most complicated in West Africa, since the discovery of Ebola in 1976 (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014). The virus that caused this particular outbreak is part of the Zaire ebolavirus species (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). Similar to previous outbreaks, the 2014-2016 outbreak also started in a rural environment of Southeastern Guinea, spreading to city centers and across other regions in just a few weeks, and became global epidemic in a couple of months (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). Notably, epidemiological and viral information mentions that apparently Ebola virus was actually present long before the initial recorded outbreaks. Risk factors such as intrusion into forested regions, straightforward interaction with wildlife such as bushmeat eating, and population growth, have so far been identified as having contributed to the spread of the virus (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014).
The Ebola virus outbreak that took place in Zaire in 1976 was as a result of hospital distribution of the virus involving five families and the ensuing spread of the infection amongst family members. Various risky conditions at the local hospital incorporated a restricted supply of masks, gowns, and caps, irregular sterilization of hospital instruments, and lack of running water in the patient care regions (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). It was determined, at the time that the virus is not easily transmitted through airborne route. This meant that individuals with the Ebola virus who were kept in feebly ventilated huts did not acquire the illness unless they came into direct physical contact with an infected individual (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). The next outbreak that was observed in 1995 in the Democratic Republic of Congo revealed that the main risk factor was a straightforward physical contact with an infected family member, either at home or at the hospital.
Most scientists deem that fruit bats which belong to the Pteropodidae family are likely Ebola virus hosts (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014). Infection takes place when the virus is introduced into the human populace via direct contact with the organs, blood, discharges, or other bodily fluids of an infected animal such as monkeys, porcupines, forest antelope, chimpanzees, and fruit bats found sick, dead, or existing in the rainforest (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). From here, the virus spreads from one person to the next, possibly affecting a large number of individuals. Scientists call this a spillover occurrence. Person to person transmission takes place through direct contact with any bodily fluid of an infected individual, and with any materials or surfaces that have been contaminated with such fluids (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). During the initial stages, Ebola feels like the influenza or other disease because its symptoms take up to 21 days to emerge following infection.
Some of the symptoms that are observed include joint and muscle aches, weakness, lack of appetite, high fever, sore throat, stomach pains, and headaches. As the illness worsens, it brings about internal bleeding combined with bleeding from the nose, ears, and eyes (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014). Some individuals tend to cough up or vomit blood, develop a rash, and have bloody diarrhea (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). Notably, the virus cannot spread from one person to the next when one exhibits no symptoms or signs of the illness. Moreover, Ebola virus is not normally transmitted via food, except in instances when bushmeat is consumed. An outbreak of the virus in a given community today, would greatly affect it at a systems level such as the local government, hospitals, businesses, and the overall functioning of academic institutions.
A number of schools would not open following an outbreak of Ebola virus and this would mean thousands of school going children missing out on much of the school year (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). Furthermore, an outbreak would also mean a lack of trust in the healthcare system. During the recorded outbreaks, it was obvious that most individuals within the community blamed the healthcare system for the event. An outbreak in my community would, thus, mean that parents would no longer take their children to the clinics and adults would refrain from seeking necessary medical care. In terms of businesses, an outbreak in the community would make international businessmen to evaluate how the event may affect their ability to continue business operations while safeguarding the wellbeing and health of their workers (Baseler & Chertow, 2017).
If an outbreak of Ebola virus were to take place in my community, the reporting protocol would be to first and foremost determine if the symptoms being exhibited are similar to those of the virus. Secondly, the individual should be referred to a nearby local healthcare facility for more testing where the results will be available within two business days (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). Thirdly, once confirmed, the community healthcare providers should then report to the Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, who in turn would recommend infection control measures (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). Lastly, the number of individuals exposed to the patient should be restricted, and the infected individual isolated. In order to prevent an outbreak of the Ebola virus in my community, there are a few strategies that can be recommended.
Two of these strategies are community education strategies and healthcare staff education strategies. A community-oriented education for the local community members with face-to-face communication particularly for the influential individuals in the community is an effective approach of widely distributing Ebola virus prevention messages to members of affected communities (Tambo, Ugwu & Ngogang, 2014). In cases where there is lack of or little Ebola virus vaccine, community education strategies would be most appropriate in interrupting the virus’s transmission, especially in regions with weak health infrastructure (Baseler & Chertow, 2017). On the other hand, the lack of professional, well equipped public health staff presented a huge challenge to the goal of executing management measures of the Ebola virus, in West Africa regions. By educating local community members and providing support for community response teams, the local clinics and hospitals can recruit and continue to train these individuals to effectively carryout investigations, reporting and case detections of Ebola (Kutalek, Wang & Gilbert, 2015). These trained individuals would also be a welcomed relief to the local hospitals in need of more staff.
Conclusion
From the discussion above, Ebola virus is considered to be among the deadliest viral illnesses, having been initially identified in 1976, in Central Africa. The virus emerged from two distinct sources, spreading autonomously to individuals in Zaire and South Sudan. Given the poor healthcare systems present at the time of the outbreaks, communities in Central Africa are prone to not only the outbreaks of Ebola, but also their psychosocial repercussions. Both the local and worldwide communities failed to acknowledge the risks of an Ebola outbreak between 2014 and 2016, which had clearly been determined during past occurrences. That is why the healthcare system in West Africa needs to be reconstructed in order to be better equipped in future.
References
Baseler, L., & Chertow, D. (2017). ‘The pathogenesis of Ebola virus disease.’ Annu. Rev. Pathol. Mech. Dis ., 12. Pp. 387 – 418.
Kutalek, R., Wang, S., & Gilbert, J. (2015). ‘Ebola interventions: Listen to communities.’ Lancet Glob Health , 3(3). e131.
Tambo, E., Ugwu, E.C., & Ngogang, J.Y. (2014). ‘Need of surveillance response systems to combat Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases in African countries.’ Infect Dis Poverty , 3(1). Pp. 29.
