Ebola Virus Disease
2
1/20/2015 Print Release http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx 1/2 Press Information Bureau Government of India Special Service and Features 11August2014 12:51 IST Feature: Health Ebola Virus Disease Dr. H. R. Keshavamurthy* Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through humanto human transmission. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name. Although nonhuman primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings. Transmission Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, infection has been noticed among those handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope found ill or dead or in the rainforest. Ebola then spreads in the community through humantohuman transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness. Healthcare workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced. Signs and symptoms EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days. Diagnosis Before a patient is diagnosed as infected with EVD, one should rule out malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers like dengue, yellow fever and kyasanur forest disease etc. Vaccine and treatment There is no specific treatment nor is any licensed vaccine for EVD available. Several vaccines
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Originally published by Press Information Bureau, GOI.
Transcript of Ebola Virus Disease
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1/20/2015 PrintRelease
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx 1/2
PressInformationBureauGovernmentofIndia
SpecialServiceandFeatures11August201412:51IST
Feature:Health
EbolaVirusDisease
Dr.H.R.Keshavamurthy*
Ebolavirus disease (EVD), formerlyknownasEbola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatalillness in humans.EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.EVD outbreaks occurprimarily in remote villages in Central andWest Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus istransmittedtopeoplefromwildanimalsandspreadsin thehumanpopulationthroughhumantohumantransmission.FruitbatsofthePteropodidaefamilyareconsideredtobethenaturalhostoftheEbolavirus.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, inNzara, Sudan, and inYambuku,DemocraticRepublic ofCongo.The latterwas in a village situatednear theEbolaRiver, fromwhichthediseasetakesitsname.Althoughnonhumanprimateshavebeenasourceofinfectionforhumans,theyarenotthoughttobethereservoirbutratheranaccidentalhostlikehumanbeings.
Transmission
Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contactwith the blood, secretions,organsorotherbodilyfluidsofinfectedanimals.InAfrica,infectionhasbeennoticedamongthosehandlinginfectedchimpanzees,gorillas,fruitbats,monkeys,forestantelopefoundillordeadorinthe rainforest.Ebola thenspreads in thecommunity throughhumantohuman transmission,withinfectionresultingfromdirectcontact(throughbrokenskinormucousmembranes)withtheblood,secretions,organsorotherbodilyfluidsofinfectedpeople,andindirectcontactwithenvironmentscontaminatedwith such fluids.Menwho have recovered from the disease can still transmit thevirusthroughtheirsemenforupto7weeksafterrecoveryfromillness.Healthcare workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected orconfirmedEVDwheninfectioncontrolprecautionsarenotstrictlypracticed.SignsandsymptomsEVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intenseweakness,musclepain, headache and sore throat.This is followedbyvomiting,diarrhoea, rash,impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.Theincubationperiod,thatis,thetimeintervalfrominfectionwiththevirustoonsetofsymptoms,is2to21days.DiagnosisBefore a patient is diagnosed as infectedwithEVD,one should rule outmalaria, typhoid fever,shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, meningitis, hepatitis and other viralhemorrhagicfeverslikedengue,yellowfeverandkyasanurforestdiseaseetc.VaccineandtreatmentThereisnospecifictreatmentnorisanylicensedvaccineforEVDavailable.Severalvaccines
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1/20/2015 PrintRelease
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arebeing tested, butnone are available for clinical use.Severely ill patients require intensivesupportivecare.Patientsare frequentlydehydratedand requireoral rehydrationwithsolutionscontainingelectrolytesorintravenousfluids.PreventionandcontrolNoanimalvaccineagainstthisisavailable.Routinecleaninganddisinfectionofpigormonkeyfarms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating thevirus.Ifanoutbreakissuspected,thepremisesshouldbequarantinedimmediately.Cullingofinfectedanimals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary toreduce the risk of animaltohuman transmission. Restricting or banning the movement ofanimalsfrominfectedfarmstootherareascanreducethespreadofthedisease.Asthisviraloutbreakinpigsandmonkeyshaveprecededhumaninfections,theestablishmentofanactiveanimalhealthsurveillancesystem todetectnewcases isessential inprovidingearlywarningforveterinaryandhumanpublichealthauthorities.Intheabsenceofeffectivetreatmentandahumanvaccine,raisingawarenessoftheriskfactorsforEbola infectionandtheprotectivemeasures individualscantakeis theonlywaytoreducehumaninfectionanddeath.IndiaandEBOLAThere is a risk the deadly virus could be imported into the country if the large population ofIndians working in the four affected West African nations returns. There are nearly 45,000Indian nationals living andworking inGuinea, Liberia, SierraLeone andNigeria where anoutbreakofthediseasehaskilled932people.WhiletheriskofEbolaviruscasesinIndiaislow,preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to India.Governmenthasadvisedagainstallnonessentialtraveltothefourcountries,andauthoritieswillscreentravelerswhooriginatefromortransitthroughaffectednations,andtrackthemaftertheirarrivalinIndia.The government will also set up facilities at airports and ports to manage travelers showingsymptoms of the disease. State authorities have been instructed to designate hospitals withisolationwardsforresponsetopossiblecasesandtostockpersonalprotectiveequipment.
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*Dr.H.R.KeshavamurthyisDirector(M&C)inPIBKolkata
(PIBFeatures)
Email:[email protected]
SS210/SF210/8.08.2014
YSK/Uma
*Director(M&C),PIB,Kolkata
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