Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Recently, the Guinean authorities have announced the end of the country’s Ebola epidemic after a 42-day countdown during which no new cases were recorded.

Concept :

About Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• It was formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
• It is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• The virus family Filoviridae is responsible for EVD which includes three genera: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and Ebolavirus.

Transmission of Ebola

• It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts.
• It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
• It is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.
• It spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:

Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola

Objects that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces, vomit) from a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola.

Treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• The two monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) were approved for the treatment of Zaire ebolavirus (Ebolavirus) infection in adults and children by the US Food and Drug Administration.
• The Ervebo vaccine has been shown to be effective in protecting people from the species Zaire ebolavirus, and is recommended by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.