Ebola Disease analysis

Ebola Disease analysis

 

Ebola Transmission, symptoms and the most affected body part(s)   

Transmission

Ebola is a viral disease that and is transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids, blood, secretions, tissue and organs of a dead or living person infected by the same. Also, transmission is possible if a person exposes himself to inanimate objects that have been contaminated by bodily fluids emanating from an infected person. In any case, the most pronounced method of transmission in humans is through their coming to contact with their infected counterparts whether they are dead or alive. The type of contact takes shape through coming into contact with any material that has been contaminated by a confirmed Ebola case (Manguvo and Mafuvadze). It is also most probable that a person who exposes himself to any bodily fluid, laboratory specimens or tissue will get infected. People who participate in funeral rites and expose themselves to infected human remains or to affected area without putting on protective gear are subject to infection. Further, coming into contact with bush meat, primates, and rodents just to name but a few, that exist in an infected area. Such contact whether the animals are dead or alive leads to infection (MPharm and Bams 447). Last and not the least, any casual contact that may take shape through public transport or share a seating area with a feverish but self-caring patient may lead to infection.

Symptoms

Patients infected with Ebola display symptoms that come to play through four phases. The first phase characterized by influenza-like syndrome which is followed by the second phase that runs from 1 to 6 days. The disease at this phase leaves the infected with an acute and persistent fever that does not respond to medication through antimalarial or antibiotic drugs. The patients would suffer from a headache, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pains. The third phase runs between 7-8 days where the patient experiences Pseudo-remissions and feels better.  It is worth noting some patients may recover from the disease at this level. The fourth phase is the aggravation stage that takes place in 9 days and in most cases, the patients become worse (Nicholas ). Their skin becomes black with morbilliform skin rushes.

The patients also develop respiratory challenges such as hiccups, dyspnea, cough, chest and throat pain. They also prone to cardiovascular disorders coupled with hypovolemic shock (Servik). It is instructing to note that the disease may manifest itself in a way that mimics other diseases such as malaria and typhoid.

Ebola viral disease causes inflammation to many body parts and in the event result to tissue damage in the body. The inflammation may be due to a direct attack where the viral disease invades and consumes immune cells or triggering of macrophages to produce inflammatory molecules. The most damaging effect takes place in the liver. The disease damages cells in the liver that produce coagulation proteins which are an important part of plasma. Further, destruction of gastrointestinal tract results in diarrhea. The viral infection attacks steroid-producing cells found in the adrenal gland (Rajak, Jain and Singh 339). This effect result in circulation failure as organs are starved of oxygen since affected cells cannot produce steroids meant to control blood pressure.

Ebola affects body parts such as the respiratory parts, Dendritic cells, and immune cells.

Body response to the infection

According to a research “Human Ebola virus infection results in substantial immune activation”, it is evident from the four patients who were examined, their bodies were able to respond to Ebola virus infection with immune activation. The study findings were contrary to previous researchers which indicate infections from the disease lead to immunosuppression in patients. The four patients under research demonstrated their bodies ability to produce B and T cell activation. The patients defense system was able to produce antibodies owing to the existence of long and short plasma cells.  The percent B cell population was 10-50 % in the patients under study as opposed to 1 percent found in healthy persons. Further, the patients under study had 5-30 percent of activated CD4 + T cells against a 1-2 percent found in the healthy control group. The CD8 + T cells to a tune of over 50 percent indicated a degree of activation and proliferation. It is worth noting even after the virus was cleared in the patient’s blood, immune activation was still present. In any case, the CD8 + T cell works to impair the action of Ebola virus proteins by killing any infected cells (McElroy, Akondy and Davis 4). The action was observed in NP which is an internal protein and the researchers observed that existing vaccines can take advantage of NP inclusion as a vtowards generating a strong T cell response.

How science solves the problem

The aspect of treating Ebola is limited to the aspect of providing intensive supportive care. The approach takes shape through maintenance of oxygen status and blood pressure in patients, facilitating a balance between fluids and electrolytes in patients and treatment of any infections that may occur. The has been efforts by different stakeholders to develop vaccines towards eliminating Ebola (Krishnasamy and Saikumar 55). Such vaccines include cAd3-ZEBOV and rVSV-ZeBoV have been developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Public Health Agency of Canada respectively.

Limitation of scientific solutions due to economic factors

Poverty is one aspect that hinders efficient care for patients affected by Ebola virus. For instance, the West African countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leon, and Guinea have poor economic conditions which have led to the weak infrastructural system such as roads and telecommunication. Such an aspect causes eminent delays in transportation of patients to treatment centers. People in these countries have high mobility rates which have led to high human contact and as such, in case of an outbreak, the disease spreads faster (World Health Organization). The ratio of health workers to the population stands at one to two doctors per 100,000 persons and the number of health workers who were infected during the last outbreaks has further diminished the numbers.

In response to the above limitations, the WHO, CDC, IFRC and other like-minded organizations came together to respond to the crisis and in the event, sent more health workers to these countries to help with the crisis. They would reach the infected people in their villages and offer treatment. The approach has gone a long way in the fight against the disease.

Comparative analysis of the patient treatment of Ebola in developed and undeveloped countries takes shape in different degrees of efficacy. The western countries have been marred by poor economic conditions that harbor effective management of the disease (Uyeki, Mehta and Davey 45). Patients airlifted to the United States and Europe received close monitoring and supportive care and, in the event, an 81.5 % of the patients survived. This was unlike in their motherland countries such as Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) where 28, 600 people were infected resulting in 11, 300 deaths (USAID). It took the effort of USAID in collaboration with US government to bring the deaths to an end.