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PressInformationBureau
GovernmentofIndia
SpecialServiceandFeatures
11August201412:51IST

EbolaVirusDisease

Feature:Health

Dr.H.R.Keshavamurthy*
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal
illness in humans.EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.EVD outbreaks occur
primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is
transmittedtopeoplefromwildanimalsandspreadsinthehumanpopulationthroughhumanto
humantransmission.FruitbatsofthePteropodidaefamilyareconsideredtobethenaturalhostof
theEbolavirus.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku,
Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from
whichthediseasetakesitsname.Althoughnonhumanprimateshavebeenasourceofinfectionfor
humans,theyarenotthoughttobethereservoirbutratheranaccidentalhostlikehumanbeings.
Transmission
Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions,
organsorotherbodilyfluidsofinfectedanimals.InAfrica,infectionhasbeennoticedamongthose
handlinginfectedchimpanzees,gorillas,fruitbats,monkeys,forestantelopefoundillordeadorin
the rainforest. Ebola then spreads in the community through humantohuman transmission, with
infectionresultingfromdirectcontact(throughbrokenskinormucousmembranes)withtheblood,
secretions,organsorotherbodilyfluidsofinfectedpeople,andindirectcontactwithenvironments
contaminated with such fluids. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the
virusthroughtheirsemenforupto7weeksafterrecoveryfromillness.
Healthcare workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or
confirmedEVDwheninfectioncontrolprecautionsarenotstrictlypracticed.

Signsandsymptoms
EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense
weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash,
impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The
incubationperiod,thatis,thetimeintervalfrominfectionwiththevirustoonsetofsymptoms,is2
to21days.

Diagnosis
Before a patient is diagnosed as infected with EVD, one should rule out malaria, typhoid fever,
shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral
hemorrhagicfeverslikedengue,yellowfeverandkyasanurforestdiseaseetc.

Vaccineandtreatment
ThereisnospecifictreatmentnorisanylicensedvaccineforEVDavailable.Severalvaccines
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are being tested, but none are available for clinical use. Severely ill patients require intensive
supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions
containingelectrolytesorintravenousfluids.

Preventionandcontrol
Noanimalvaccineagainstthisisavailable.Routinecleaninganddisinfectionofpigormonkey
farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the
virus.
Ifanoutbreakissuspected,thepremisesshouldbequarantinedimmediately.Cullingofinfected
animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to
reduce the risk of animaltohuman transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of
animalsfrominfectedfarmstootherareascanreducethespreadofthedisease.

Asthisviraloutbreakinpigsandmonkeyshaveprecededhumaninfections,theestablishmentof
an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early
warningforveterinaryandhumanpublichealthauthorities.

Intheabsenceofeffectivetreatmentandahumanvaccine,raisingawarenessoftheriskfactors
forEbolainfectionandtheprotectivemeasuresindividualscantakeistheonlywaytoreduce
humaninfectionanddeath.

IndiaandEBOLA

There is a risk the deadly virus could be imported into the country if the large population of
Indians working in the four affected West African nations returns. There are nearly 45,000
Indian nationals living and working in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria where an
outbreakofthediseasehaskilled932people.WhiletheriskofEbolaviruscasesinIndiaislow,
preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to India.
Governmenthasadvisedagainstallnonessentialtraveltothefourcountries,andauthoritieswill
screentravelerswhooriginatefromortransitthroughaffectednations,andtrackthemaftertheir
arrivalinIndia.
The government will also set up facilities at airports and ports to manage travelers showing
symptoms of the disease. State authorities have been instructed to designate hospitals with
isolationwardsforresponsetopossiblecasesandtostockpersonalprotectiveequipment.
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*Dr.H.R.KeshavamurthyisDirector(M&C)inPIBKolkata

(PIBFeatures)
Email:featuresunit@gmail.com
himalaya@nic.in

SS210/SF210/8.08.2014
YSK/Uma
*Director(M&C),PIB,Kolkata

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