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Ebola: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
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Until recently, only three outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever among people had been reported. The first two outbreaks were in 1976: one in Zaire and one in western Sudan. These were large outbreaks, resulting in more than 550 cases and 340 deaths. The third outbreak, in 1979 in Sudan, was smaller, with 34 cases and 22 fatalities. During each of these outbreaks, a majority of cases occurred in hospital settings under the challenging conditions of the developing world. These conditions, including a lack of adequate medical supplies and the frequent reusing of needles and syringes, played a major role in the spread of the disease.
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The Ebola virus is one of the few viruses capable of causing hemorrhagic fever, a severe, often-fatal disease in humans characterised by high fever and massive internal bleeding. Other hemorrhagic fevers include Marburg and Lassa. One of the most lethal of all viral diseases, Ebola causes death in 50% to 80% of all cases. Ebola outbreaks occur regularly in tropical Africa, affecting both human and great ape populations. Since the Ebola virus was first recognized, approximately 2,000 cases with over 1,200 deaths have been reported. Ebola usually appears in sporadic outbreaks, and spreads within a health-care setting.
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Ebola-Zaire, the first-discovered Ebola virus, is ... the most deadly. At its worst, it has a ninety percent fatality rate. There have been more outbreaks of Ebola-Zaire than any other type of Ebola virus (�Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever�). The first outbreak took place in 1976 in Yambuku, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). Mabelo Lokela checked into the local hospital with a fever. One of the nurses assumed Lokela had malaria and gave him a quinine shot.
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Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever disease in humans begins with an incubation period of 4–10 days, which is followed by abrupt onset of illness. Fever, headache, weakness, and other flulike symptoms lead to a rapid deterioration in the condition of the individual. In severe cases, bleeding and the appearance of small red spots or rashes over the body indicate that the disease has affected the integrity of the circulatory system. Individuals with Ebola virus die as a result of a shock syndrome that usually occurs 6–9 days after the onset of symptoms. This shock is due to the inability to control vascular functions and the massive injury to body tissues.
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The recent Ebola virus outbreak is centered in Kikwit, Zaire, a city of 400,000 located about 250 miles east of the capital city of Kinshasa. The outbreak appears to have started with a patient who had surgery in Kikwit on April 10, 1995. Members of the surgical team then developed symptoms similar to those of a viral hemorrhagic fever disease. A Belgian physician suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever and reported the disease to the Zairian government. At the request of Zairian health officials, medical teams from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and from Belgium, France and South Africa are collaborating to investigate and control the outbreak in Zaire.
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In February 1977, serum from medical personnel who could have come in contact with Ebola were tested for Ebola antibodies. The serum from a Tandala Hospital physician tested positive. In May of 1972, this physician had lacerated his finger while performing an autopsy on a Zairois bible school student. The student died of a hemorrhagic illness that was clinically diagnosed as yellow fever. The physician became ill 12 days after lacerating his finger. In 1977, his hospital records were reviewed, and his symptoms were characteristic of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever.
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Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever