Ebola Outbreak : Countries That Witnessed The Wrath
In 1976, the disease was discovered in nearly synchronous epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan (now South Sudan).
History of Ebola Outbreak
Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious disease induced by the Ebola virus, a filovirus that affects humans and other mammals. In 1976, the disease was discovered in nearly synchronous epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sudan (now South Sudan). There were no cases or outbreaks between 1979 and 1994. However, outbreaks have been recognised with increasing regularity since 1994. Until 2014, EVD outbreaks were mostly recorded in isolated settlements near tropical rainforests in Central and West Africa.
Ebola began in African countries. However, it has had an impact on other countries, especially the United States. In this chapter, we will look at the places affected by Ebola as well as the nations where the virus has been discovered. Ebola affects every country. However, being prepared to deal with the virus improves survival rates and prevents the sickness from spreading. Collaboration to educate one another and support the battle against Ebola can help prevent new outbreaks around the world.
Symptoms of Ebola
Significantly high temperatures, headache, stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and the both internal and external bleeding, such as in the gums and stool, are all symptoms of Ebola virus disease. It can be difficult to tell Ebola from from other infections such malaria, typhoid fever, and meningitis. Symptoms can emerge anywhere between 2 and 21 days after catching the sickness. People who have the disease cannot spread it to others until symptoms arise.
Transmission of Ebola
Ebola is highly infectious, which means that even a small amount of the virus can cause infection, yet it does not transmit through the air. People become newly infected through direct contact with infected animals, slaughtering and eating bush meat, or exposure to sick people’s bodily fluids. The virus is also transferred through sexual interaction. The bodies of persons who have died from Ebola virus disease contain high levels of the virus, which can be transmitted to others through contact. It is critical to provide them with safe and respectful burials in order to avoid the spread of the disease.
Countries that were affected by Ebola Outbreak in the Past
The majority of confirmed cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Uganda. For the first time in West Africa, an EVD outbreak was recorded in 2014. (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone). There was strong transmission in urban areas during this outbreak, which lasted from, resulting in approximately 30,000 confirmed cases. Several countries, including Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have reported imported EVD cases related with this outbreak.
Countries that are being affected by Ebola Outbreak in the present
Liberia has been the hardest hit, with over 4,900 people killed and 10,752 infected. According to the WHO, during the height of transmission in August and September 2014, Liberia reported between 350 and 450 new cases per week.
The outbreak was traced back to a two-year-old toddler who died in December 2013 in Meliandou, a small community in south-eastern Guinea, according to researchers from the New England Journal of Medicine. In March, hospital workers notified Guinea’s Ministry of Health, who subsequently notified the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). In the south-eastern regions of Gueckedou, Macenta, Nzerekore, and Kissidougou, they reported a mystery sickness. It resulted In fever, diarrhoea, and vomiting. It also had a high mortality rate. 59 people died in the first 86 cases.
The WHO reported a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 2014. There’d been 70 recorded cases and 43 deaths by the beginning of October. However, the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was caused by a distinct strain of the virus and was unrelated to the epidemic in West Africa, which has now surpassed all prior epidemics.