The Democratic Republic of Congo reported its 11th outbreak of Ebola since the first traces of the virus were found in 1976. Six people have tested positive of which two have died. This outbreak returns after a year since the last outbreak of August 2018 which is still ongoing amid Congo's battle with COVID-19 and the measles outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) responded quickly and has a team monitoring the outbreak.. WHO General took to Twitter to express how Congo is facing three health issues at the same time. This outbreak has occurred in the Equateur province of the country. This province was also the epicenter of the 9th outbreak that broke out on May 8th, 2020 and was contained by July 2018.
The 10th outbreak of the virus which is still ongoing since August 2018, has claimed over 2280 lives. The country is also grappling with 3195 cases and 72 deaths of COVID-19 as well as 369520 cases and 6779 deaths due to measles.
What Is Ebola?
The Ebola Virus disease, formerly known as the Ebola haemorrhagic fever occurs predominantly in the African continent. It most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees.
It is caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus Ebolavirus that are a part of the Filoviridae family. The virus has six species of which four are known to affect humans- Zaire, Sudan, Taï Forest, and Bundibugyo.
Just like Coronavirus, scientists have still not been able to discern the source of the Ebola virus. Since its outbreak in 1976, it has emerged in other African countries such as Guinea, Sierra Leone and Sudan. The 2014-16 outbreak and 2018-19 outbreaks are considered to be the most fatal ones.
Transmission
The virus is believed to be transmitted through fruit bats as they are natural hosts for the Ebola virus. However, it can also spread through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope or porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.
It is then transmitted among human through direct contact owith the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick or has died from Ebola and objects that have been contaminated with the body fluids like blood, feces, vomit of an Ebola infected person.
The virus is seen to pass through dead bodies if they are not handled properly. In Africa, a majority of health workers working in close proximity of Ebola patients as well as committees responsible for the burial have also been infected.
Pregnant women could transmit the virus to their babies through breastmilk or other fluids.
Symptoms And Diagnosis
The incubation period- time of exposure to the onset of symptoms for Ebolavirus is between 2-21 days, according to the WHO. However, unlike Coronavirus, a person cannot spread the virus without developing symptoms.
The symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat along with vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.
The WHO believes that it is difficult to clinically distinguish Ebolavirus from other diseases. Blood collected from patients is kept in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and tested through enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) tests for antibodies as well as antigen detection, and RT-PCR tests.
In cases of dead bodies, oral fluids are collected and tested.
Treatment and Vaccines
There is no specific, validated treatment for treating Ebola. Various techniques such as blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies are tested for their effectiveness while their bodies are rehydrated using oral and intravenous fluids.
A multi-drug randomized control trial was undertaken to evaluate the 10th outbreak that is still underway.
An experimental Ebola vaccine proved highly protective against EVD in a major trial in Guinea in 2015. The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was studied in a trial involving 11 841 people of which 5837 received the vaccine and no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination in them.
This vaccine is being used during the 10th outbreak as well.
Since there is no definite treatment, prevention and control measures include maintaining basic hygiene by using gloves while tending to animals as well as infected patients as well as regularly washing hands. Sexual transmission should be avoided if a patient has tested positive as well as should be abstained for a while if a person has recovered.
Relapsing although rare has been documented by the WHO. Quarantining contacts as well as isolating the ones infected for 21 days are other effective control measures.
Also Read: COVID-19 Outbreak: Difference Between Quarantine And Isolation