Hemorrhagic Fever

 First Major Outbreak (ZEBOV)  Sudan (SEBOV)  Occur Sporadically  for more information

 Fruit Bats  Antibodies against Ebola  Ebola Gene sequences in liver and spleen  Fruit bats do not show any symptoms  Best candidate to be the reservoir  More research needs to be done

 The link between human infection by the Ebola virus and their proximity to primates is clear. -Outbreaks occurred in countries that house 80 percent of the world’s remaining wild gorilla and chimpanzee populations. - The outbreaks coincided with the outbreaks in wild animals. - The same distinct viral strains were isolated in animal carcasses and in the bodies of those who handled those carcasses. - These outbreaks were preceded by an abnormally large death in wild Gorilla populations.

 Incubation period: 2-21 days  Stage I (unspecific): -Extreme asthenia (body weakness) -diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, anorexia abdominal pain - headaches - arthralgia (neuralgic pain in joints) - myalgia (muscular pain or tenderness), back pain - mucosal redness of the oral cavity, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) - conjunctivitis. - rash all over body except in face ** If the patients don’t recover gradually at this point, there is a high probability that the disease will progress to the second phase, resulting in complications which eventually lead to death (Mupapa et al., 1999).

 Stage II (Specific): - Hemorrhage - neuropsychiatric abnormalities - anuria (the absence of urine formation) - hiccups - tachypnea (rapid breathing). ** Patients who progressed to phase two EHF almost always die. (Ndambi et al., 1999)  Late Complications: -Arthralgia - ocular diseases (ocular pain, photophobia and hyperlacrimation) - hearing loss - unilateral orchitis( inflammation of one or both of the testes) ** These conditions are usually relieved with the treatment of 1% atropine and steroids

 Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever was first found in 1976  It struck two countries within that year  a. Sudan – in a town called N’zara  b. Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo  In these two instances the mortality rate was between 50 –90%  Following those epidemics, Ebola hit Africa in many other instances the worst yet being in the year 2000 when it struck Uganda infecting more than 400 people.

 contracted through contact of any infected individual’s body fluids Ebola HF prevention poster used in Kikwit outbreak.

 a. Hospitals must follow precautionary methods, such as: 1. wearing gloves 2. isolating infected individuals 3. practicing nurse barrier techniques 4. proper sterilization and disposal of all equipment  b. Burials must be done correctly 1. no washing or touching carcass 2. put into body bags and bury outside city  c. Report any questionable illness to officials

 Ebola-Zaire (ZEBOV)  Ebola-Sudan (SEBOV)  Ebola Ivory-Coast (ICEBOV)  Ebola-Reston (REBOV)

 Characterization of the virus  Order: Mononegavirales  Family: Filoviridae  Genus: Ebolavirus  Species: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Cote d-Ivoire, Ebola- Reston  Morphology under electron microscope  filamentous, enveloped RNA virus  approx. 19 kb in length (1 kb = 1000 RNA bases/nucleotides) or nm in diameter  single-stranded, linear, non-segmented  negative-sense RNA (encoded in a 3’ to 5’ direction)  appears to have “spikes” due to glycoprotein on outside membrane

 Structure of Ebola genome and proteins  Transcribed into 8 sub-genomic mRNA proteins: 7 structural and 1 nonstructural  7 structural proteins:  nucleoprotein (NP)  4 viral/virion proteins (VP35, VP40, VP30, VP24)  glycoprotein (GP)  RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein)  NP, VP35, VP30, L protein: required for transcription & replication  VP40, GP, VP24: associated with the membrane

 Biogeograophical Ethics is defined as motivation based on ideas of right and wrong when dealing with the geographical distribution of animals and plants.  This concept of can be used to explain the world’s shockingly small response to the Ebola Virus.  Because there was little travel to that region by people of more developed countries, there was not much economic drive for a vaccine, treatment, and aid in prevention.

 Since the September 11 bombings in the United States, the locality of this virus has become less isolated as the threat of bioterrorism looms large.  The Ebola virus is now on the “A” list for hopeful vaccination development.  Experiments have even been formed to show how Ebola can be used as a bioterror agent.