Ebola is one of the major pandemics that the world could experience in the recent past. Numerous countries from Western Africa had to suffer a lot from the Ebola outbreak in the past decade. The Ebola outbreak is not yet over. Even though we cannot hear anything about the Ebola outbreak from the news, we shouldn’t assume that it is over. It is essential to be aware of the facts and have a better understanding of the status of it as of now.
What is Ebola?
Ebola is also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. This is a fatal health condition, which is directly creating an impact on the immune system of an individual. Along with that, a person will have to suffer from extreme fluid loss, which will eventually make that person end up with death.
This disease has a significant impact on blood clotting. As a result, it can create both internal bleedings as well as external bleeding. It doesn’t take a long time for a person who is infected by Ebola to show symptoms. As soon as a person has Ebola, they experience muscle pain, fever, vomiting, bleeding, rash, and diarrhea. Along with that, the infected person is subjected to severe dehydration. This will eventually lead a person to death. That’s the main reason why we need to be concerned about Ebola and why we need to take appropriate measures to take better control over the health condition.
How did Ebola outbreak start?
Ebola was initially discovered in 1976. The Republic of Congo can be considered as the ground zero of the virus. This virus has resurfaced numerous times in the recent past. In all those years, the virus has taken away the lives of thousands of people. Along with that, numerous local, as well as global health systems, were put to the test.
The Ebola outbreaks that took place in the recent past concerned a specific region, hence, it didn’t become a global pandemic. From numerous studies conducted about Ebola in the past, it has been identified that people contracted the disease from animals. In fact, scientists predict that the Ebola virus is closely linked with bats. Bats may have contaminated food, or people who consumed bats have got the virus.
Upon getting the virus, human beings are in a position to transmit the Ebola virus. They are capable of transmitting the Ebola virus to another person via bodily fluids and the dead bodies still remain infectious.
Can Ebola be treated?
As of now, there is no vaccine found to treat the Ebola virus. However, we can see how people have gone forward with numerous attempts to create a virus. Out of them, no attempt has still been able to deliver positive results.
Current situation of Ebola
The last major scale Ebola outbreak hit the world back in 2014 and it lasted until 2016.
It is important to note that Ebola outbreaks are in a position to create a massive impact on the world economy. The effects created by it can last for a longer period of time as well. For example, the last Ebola outbreak has created a loss of more than $2.8 billion for countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea within a time duration of just two years. During the outbreak, we can see how the prices associated with commodities have dropped significantly. This can create massive damage to the economy, and it will take a long time for the economy to survive.
In the month of July 2019, we were able to see how a new case linked with Ebola was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Immediate measures were taken in order to trace the infected person and identify the root cause. Along with that, the World Health Organization acted proactively to take control of the situation as well. The outbreak spread significantly, but it ended up on the 17th of February, 2020, along with the last patient being discharged.
We are still at the risk of getting another Ebola outbreak, and we need to make sure that it doesn’t happen.
