The use of contaminated needles and syringes during the earliest outbreaks enabled transmission and amplification of Ebola virus. During the first outbreak in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DR Congo, the DRC, DROC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. It is sometimes anachronistically referred to by its former name of Zaire, which was its official name between 1971 and 1997. It is, b…
Full Answer
What is the history of Ebola?
The use of contaminated needles and syringes during the earliest outbreaks enabled transmission and amplification of Ebola virus. During the first outbreak in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC), nurses in the Yambuku mission hospital reportedly used five syringes for 300 to 600 patients a day.
What are the treatment options for Ebola?
There are currently two treatments* approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat EVD caused by the Ebola virus, species Zaire ebolavirus, in adults and children. The first drug approved in October 2020, Inmazeb™. external icon. , is a combination of three monoclonal antibodies. The second drug, Ebanga™.
What are the known cases and outbreaks of Ebola virus disease?
Ebola: history, treatment, and lessons from a new emerging pathogen Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2015 Feb 15;308(4):L307-13. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00354.2014. Epub 2014 Dec 12. Author Kevin S Harrod 1 Affiliation 1 Department of Anesthesiology, School of ...
What happened in the UK during the Ebola epidemic?
40 Years of Ebola Virus Disease around the World. Ebola virus was first described in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each of the known cases and outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease are described below by year or country.
How was the Ebola outbreak treated?
The drug Inmazeb, a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn), was approved by the FDA in October 2020 to treat the Zaire strain of Ebola in children and adults.Jul 28, 2021
What was the treatment for Ebola in 1976?
She and several other ill persons were treated with an antimicrobial and other drugs, many of which were given by injection. Anti-typhoid vaccination activities were recommended.Oct 4, 2016
What were the treatments for Ebola in 2014?
The state of vaccines and treatments in 2014. At the time the West African Ebola outbreak began no vaccine or medication was proven effective in humans against Ebola. Even today, there are no 'FDA-approved vaccines or therapeutics available for prevention, post-exposure, or treatment for EVD'.Sep 16, 2016
Was the Ebola virus a pandemic?
By calling the current situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, has placed it in a rare category that includes the 2009 flu pandemic, the Zika epidemic of 2016, and the 2-year Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa before it ended in ...
Is there a vaccine for Ebola?
Currently there are no licensed vaccines to prevent Ebola virus disease. However, multiple investigational Ebola vaccines have been tested in numerous clinical trials around the world. NIAID has supported the development of various candidates, including the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine developed by Merck.
Is there a vaccine for Ebola 2021?
The Ebola virus vaccine ERVEBO® (Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live also known as V920, rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP or rVSV-ZEBOV) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older as a single dose administration.
What animal started Ebola?
Scientists do not know where Ebola virus comes from. Based on similar viruses, they believe EVD is animal-borne, with bats or nonhuman primates being the most likely source. Infected animals carrying the virus can transmit it to other animals, like apes, monkeys, duikers and humans.
Why is there no cure for Ebola?
Ebola first appeared more than three decades ago, but there is still no cure or specific treatment for the disease, in part because the dangerous nature of the virus makes it difficult to study, experts say.Jun 23, 2014
Therapeutics
There are currently two treatments* approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat EVD caused by the Ebola virus, species Zaire ebolavirus, in adults and children. The first drug approved in October 2020, Inmazeb™ external icon , is a combination of three monoclonal antibodies.
Supportive Care
Whether or not other treatments are available, basic interventions can significantly improve chances of survival when provided early. These are referred to as supportive care, and include:
When was the Guinea virus declared over?
The outbreak was declared over on May 3, 2021. GUINEA.
When did the second negative laboratory test end?
Following a period of 42 days since the second negative laboratory diagnostic test of the last confirmed patient, WHO declared an end to the outbreak on July 2, 2017.
What animal models have been used to study Ebola?
The Zaire ebolavirus has been largely used for most experimental studies, and little is known about other genera. Mice are generally not permissive of Ebola infection and are resistant to any disease save for mounting a serological response with sufficient doses ( 21 ). Mouse-adapted Ebola strains have been developed and show lethality with similar characteristics of innate immune tropism and characteristic disease in the liver leading to coagulopathies and death ( 4, 5, 8 ). Mutations in the mouse-adapted ebolaviruses suggest that amino acid changes in proteins that antagonize IFN-induced viral host defense are important in the adaptation to permissive or lethal murine infection ( 3 ). Similar findings have been made using mouse-adapted Ebola virus in guinea pigs and Syrian hamsters, but the limited reagents available have made these models less desirable ( 32 ).
What is the genus of Ebola?
The Zaire ebolavirus species is one of five in the Ebolavirus genus formerly called Ebola hemorrhagic fever viruses. Ebolavirus is classified in the family Filoviridae, in the order Mononegavirales of single-stranded negative-sense RNA viruses ( 9 ). Ebolavirus is made up of five known viral species, four of which ( Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Bundibugyo ebolavirus, and Taï Forest ebolavirus) lead to a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) that is highly pathogenic and often lethal in humans. A fifth ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus, has infected humans but has not been shown to cause disease ( 18 ). Other genera of the Filoviridae family are the Marburg marburgvirus, consisting of the two members Marburg (MARV) and Ravn (RAVV), both causing similar hemorrhagic fevers with high lethality in humans, and the genus Lloviu cuevavirus (LLOV), found in bats, with no reported infection in humans known. The five members of the Ebolavirus genus are the most highly studied of the Filoviridae, and the natural history of viral replication of filoviruses is largely known from studies of the Ebolavirus genus ( Fig. 1 ). Filoviruses are enveloped RNA viruses that attach to host cells through glycoproteins on the viral outer membrane that appear to contain a fusion domain as well, unlike other Mononegavirales, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that encode a distinct fusion (F) protein. Following release of the genomic RNA-containing nucleocapsid from the endosome, viral replication takes place by a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) encoded by the viral genome. Positive-stranded viral RNA (vRNA) species for each encoded viral protein (NP, VP35, VP40, GP/sGP, VP30, VP24, and L) are transcribed initially, followed by production of the positive-stranded full-length viral antigenomes that serve as the template for the transcription of negative-stranded viral genomes of progeny virions. Following genomic replication, the viral genomes are packaged in the nucleocapsid. They traffic to the cell membrane surface, where the envelope proteins embedded in the cell membrane await and where host envelope budding around the nucleocapsid takes place, forming nascent progeny virions that are released. Much of the detailed cell biology and replication of Ebola virus just described, such as the switch from viral transcription to viral RNA genomes or the cell entry mechanisms, are largely unknown in filoviruses but have been widely studied in a number of other negative-stranded RNA viruses such as Paramyxoviridae and pneumoviruses such as the aforementioned RSV. This large body of literature on similar viruses, while helpful, does not necessarily indicate that investigations into other less pathogenic viruses can supplant the study of Ebola virus. As an example, viruses of Paramyxoviridae often inhibit interferon (IFN)-mediated viral host defense but do so by distinct mechanisms within their own virus family. For this reason, we cannot rely on our working knowledge of less pathogenic viruses to fully understand Ebola virus biology.
How do you get Ebola?
Ebola infections in humans are acquired typically through direct contact with the body fluids of symptomatic infected individuals. It is important to reiterate that although the symptoms of early infection may be similar to those of many other infections, the mucosal hemorrhage, diarrhea, and vomiting that are characteristic of sustained, severe infections are the greatest cause for alarm with regard to transmission between humans. The CDC has established risk factors for determining the exposure risk for monitoring and movement considerations often used for travel and public health actions ( http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/exposure/risk-factors-when-evaluating-person-for-exposure.html ). In general, individuals with direct contact to body fluids of Ebola victims (without appropriate personal protective equipment), direct contact with deceased Ebola individuals (without appropriate personal protective equipment), or living in a household with and providing care to a person with symptomatic Ebola constitute the highest risk for infection. Having contact with an individual prior to Ebola symptoms or having arrived from one of the stricken regions and not shown symptoms for 21 days would classify one as having no identifiable risk to others. “Low” and “some risk” categories are also outlined. Many myths and misconceptions exist with regard to individual risk, and efforts by our national public health experts, at times, seem to be ignored by our leadership. Unjustified actions and restrictions on travel based on fear and not sound medical practice of Ebola risk can lead to grave impositions, economic disruption, and disregard for civil liberties.
