- Ebola was first identified in 1976 and has since caused several outbreaks, mainly in Africa.
- The incubation period of the virus ranges from two to 21 days.
- The vaccine developed against the disease does not work against the Sudan strain that is responsible for the most recent outbreak detected in the world.
One of the deadliest diseases in recent decades is ebola. Although the most dangerous thing is that a few days ago the start of a new outbreak was confirmed that is affecting more and more people. The situation is quite serious and has already caused the first death of a health worker.
On September 21, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an international alert for the detection of a case in Uganda. Since then everything has been complicated and until now the situation has not been controlled.
Why is the current outbreak so dangerous?
First and foremost, this Ebola outbreak is different from previous ones because it is about the Sudan strain. To date it is listed as the most dangerous in the world because there is no vaccine. The biologics that have been developed do not work against this variant.
About, case fatality rates for the Sudan strain have ranged from 41% to 100% in previous outbreaks. Early deployment of supportive care has been shown to significantly reduce Ebola deaths.
For its part, the most recent news is the death of Dr. Mohammed Ali, who was 37 years old and is the first health professional to die from this outbreak. The doctor was originally from Tanzania but had moved to Uganda to treat infected patients.
According to what was reported by Reutersthe doctor tested positive for ebola on September 26. He was immediately admitted to an isolation room at Fort Portal Hospital, located in the city of Kampala. Unfortunately after several days he passed away.
Meanwhile, African authorities added that In addition to the doctor, there are five other infected health workers. The list is made up of an anesthesiologist, a medical student and other doctors. At the moment all are receiving treatment although their condition is critical.
While the Ugandan Minister of Health made it official that the current ebola outbreak in the nation has left eight dead and 38 confirmed cases. For this reason, it has requested greater international support to try to control the complicated situation.
Brief history of the disease
The virus that causes this deadly disease was first detected in 1976 with two simultaneous outbreaks occurring in Nzara (now South Sudan) and Yambuku (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The village in which the second of them occurred is located near the Ebola River and that is where the name comes from.
Since then, multiple outbreaks have been generated in different areas of Africa. Some have been more dangerous than others and even the WHO decreed on a couple of occasions a international public health emergency.
Main symptoms of Ebola
- Diarrhea.
- vomiting.
- Stomach ache.
- Unexplained bleeding.
- Bruises.
The incubation period of the virus ranges from two to 21 days. People do not spread the disease until symptoms appear. Ebola in its less “severe” strain is currently considered to have a fatality rate of about 50 percent.
First medical guide against Ebola
For its part, this 2022 the WHO published the first medical guide for the care of Ebola cases. Among the main recommendations is the use of monoclonal antibodies: mAb114 (Ansuvimab; Ebanga) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).
These new guidelines are intended to help health care providers caring for Ebola patients and policymakers involved in outbreak preparedness and response.
Also read:
This is the first WHO medical guide for the treatment of Ebola
WHO makes Ebola resurgence official: There is one confirmed death
International alert: WHO declares a rare Ebola outbreak in this country