The Ebola Virus Essay Research Paper Ebola — страница 3

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hemorrhagic fever in a person who has been infected only a few days is difficult because early symptoms, such as red and itchy eyes, and a skin rash, are nonspecific to the virus and are seen in other patients with diseases that occur much more frequently. If a patient has a combination of the symptoms described above, and Ebola virus is suspected, several laboratory test should be performed promptly. These include a blood film examination, 5 a blood culture, and if the patient has bloody diarrhea, a stool culture should also be performed. Some of the more common and accurate diagnostic tools for the detection of the Ebola virus are the ELISA (enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay), PCR (polymerase chain reaction, and a virus isolation procedure can be used to diagnose a

case of Ebola hemorrhagic fever within a few days of the onset of symptoms. Currently, there is no standard treatment for Ebola hemorrhagic fever, although most patiens receive supportive therapy. This consists of balancing the patient’s fluids and electrolytes, maintaining their oxygen levels and blood pressure, and treating them for any complicating infections. It is now known that “The viruses [Ebola and Marburg] can be inactivated by heating at 60?C for 1 hour, by acid treatment at pH 4 or lower, and by organic solvents such as ether” (Johnson 1). “Scientists and researchers are faced with the challenges of developing additional diagnostic tools to assist in early diagnosis of the disease and ecological investigations of Ebola virus and the disease it causes. In

addition, one of the research goals is to monitor suspected areas in order to determine the incidence of the disease. More extensive knowledge of the nature of the virus’ reservoir and how it is spread must be acquired to prevent future outbreaks effectively” (CDC 3). “Filoviruses continue to provide a difficult area for virologists to develop strategies to protect the public and can be seen as the prototype of emerging viruses. We do not understand their natural maintenance strategy and thus cannot predict their emergence nor the factors that might reasonably be expected to increase the risk of their presenting problems to the world. Given our profound ignorance of these viruses, the limited number of episodes we have studied, and their lethal potential, it seems a safe

bet that we have additional unpleasant surprises in store. The task now is to gamer [sic] continuing support to understand these elusive agents now that the epidemic has been controlled and public interest has faded” (Peters 3). McKinney 6 Works Cited Biosafety and Emerging Infections: Key Issues in the Prevention and Control of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. Proc. of the 4th National Symposium on Biosafety. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997. Carson, Cully C., and Tracy Irons-Georges “Ebola Virus.” Magill’s Medical Guide. 1 (1998): 511-512. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever.” Disease Information:Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers: Fact Sheets. Atlanta: CDC, 1999. Glausiusz, Josie. “Ebola’s Lethal Secrets.” Discover

Jul. 1998: 24. Johnson, Karl M. “Filoviradae: Ebola and Marburg Viruses.” Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (1989): 1303-1305. Peters, C.J. “Emerging Infections: Ebola and other Filoviruses (Emerging and Reemerging Global Microbial Threats).” The Western Journal of Medicine 164 (1996): 36-39.