Introduction
There are many kinds of diseases that people can contract in different ways, and it is worth noting that any place a person travels to that is infested with a certain disease should steer clear of that place no matter how appealing it is. Now, there are some diseases that, once a person get it, there is no way to get rid of it and are forced to live with it for the rest of their lives. Ebola is one of those disease, and it has affected a multitude of people. Normally, there are shots to prevent certain diseases from ever surfacing but Ebola has yet to be cured or at the very least people get vaccinated for it. There are many aspects about the Ebola virus that some people do and in some cases, do not know.
Ebola Causative Agent/Scientific Name
As most people well know, every virus has an origin or an original name if you will in which it is identified and everyone knows that every virus has a causative agent as well. Everyone knows that Ebola exists, but what they do not know is that Ebola’s scientific name originated from the term Filoviridae ebolavirus. Interesting enough, the causative agent of this deadly virus is technically term the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. While there are many other versions of the disease David Zeitler states that the only version of the disease that does not infect or enters the body of human beings is the Reston version of the virus, humans are completely immune. Every version of the disease is prevalent in places where the disease lives.
Historical Information
As previously mentioned, most viruses have an origin and some of these viruses have names that was already named after something else but was given the name because of how fitting it was at the time. This disease was no different, the disease got its name from a river in Africa called the Ebola River back in 1976 and people were unaware of the horror that lies within the depths of that river at that time. Some people would not believe that catching a deadly virus from a river is even possible, this river was a different case because of its name. When the virus first broke out in Zaire, Africa, a little less than 300 people were infected and most that were died from it within 2 weeks of contracting the disease. Three versions of the disease was born in Zaire, Africa within months of the first version and that is the Ebola-Sudan and the Ebola Zaire. The other version of the virus, the Ebola Cote d’Ivoire came along 18 years later in the U.S.
Tara Waterman stated in 1999 that researchers have made it their life’s work to discover the actual birthplace or birth area of the virus, but to no avail did they find it.
Transmission
Ebola, much like every virus in existence can be transferred from one person to another and there are dozens of ways that the disease can be contracted. Since the disease was born within African monkeys, it only fair to warn that person to stay away from those monkeys especially if they are dead. The Ebola virus, much like every other life-threatening disease, can be sexually transmitted. Also, if the disease is alive and well within a person who coughs up blood or sneezes, they run the risk of spreading the disease within an area like an office; blood transfusions are another way that a person can get the disease as well. Rose Kivi points out in 2012 that despite getting the disease, the Ebola fever is hardly anything to worry about since it rarely surfaces within the human body; a human being can still get it.
Symptoms/Diagnosis
Most diseases have tell-tell signs and symptoms that people that have been diagnosed with the disease go through, the signs are very easy to detect; people can sense when something is out of the ordinary with their bodies. One of the tell-tell symptoms that a person that has Ebola experiences is a mind-numbing weakness throughout their whole body, the weakness is practically a paralysis whereas the person do not possess the strength or energy to move or get out of bed or even walk the few inches to the bathroom. Another symptom of Ebola is that it leaves the person with a heart pounding headache, an Ebola-registered headache is not a normal headache where a person can just pop some painkillers for complete relief; this headache stays beyond the aspirin rendering it useless.
Prognosis
Generally, anyone diagnosed with the Ebola Virus are dead on the spot because the disease goes to work destroying the inside of the body immediately, those whose bodies are infected with the lesser version of the disease such as Ebola Hemorrhagic fever can completely heal from the disease without any anatomical backlash such as remission for a small period of time then return; none of that.
Treatment
Even though it is law that a person who has the Ebola Virus will imminently die, there are several treatment options available that a person can take advantage of in order to get some relief from the living with the disease. A person can be prescribed pain medicine or medications to help contain the painful aspects of the virus, the Ebola virus not only messes up a person’s inner body but the outer functions of their body such as their ability to breathe normally; a person will have the option of getting oxygen therapy treatment to help them. People living with this disease can lose a lot of blood in a relatively short period of time, so there are blood transfusion options available for the person if they choose to go with that option; it will require them to stay at the hospital for observation if another blood transfusion is needed.
Prevention/Vaccinations
More than a few diseases that exist at present have vaccines that ward off and completely destroy the various diseases in the works, Ebola is one of these diseases. At the end of the day, the only way that a person can steer clear of this disease all together is to avoid going to places where the disease is prevalent and widespread. Dennis Thompson states in 2014 that scientific officials are dangerously close to coming up with a vaccine for the disease, the vaccine will still be years from touching human hands so staying clear of places where the disease is alive and well is well-advised.
Possible Use in Biowarfare
Biological Warfare has been termed the silent killer because of its capability to kill a person from the inside out, and utterly destroy them internally. Since the edge of the 19th century (1870-1885), biological warfare has been used to kill and end the life of many an army by tampering with an army’s rations. Technically, biological warfare is not as likely in this day and age as it was back in those days. After September 11th, people feared a further terrorist threat to the U.S and feared that Ebola would be used to wipe out all life on earth. As a countermeasure, the U.S. is working day and night to ensure that if that ever happened then they would be ready and prepared. Finally, making sure that this nightmare never happens. Concern for this unstoppable epidemic has surfaced since 2001 and there has been some speculation of the disease spreading throughout the U.S. slowly over the last 13 years, but there is nothing to confirm that.
Works Cited
Zeitler, David. "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever." . Austin Community College, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.austincc.edu/microbio/2704u/ev.htm>.
Kivi, Rose . "Ebola Virus and Disease." . Healthline, 22 June 2012. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.healthline.com/health/ebola-hemorrhagic-fever#Overview 1>.
hompson, Dennis . "As Ebola outbreak spreads, vaccine remains years away." . CBS News, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 2 July 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-ebola-outbreak-spreads-vaccine-remains-years-away/>.
Waterman, Tara. "Ebola." . Stanford University, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 2 July 2014. <https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/filo/filo.html>.
