Impact of Ebola on World’s History

The world is filled with many viruses, all in which have made an impacted on the world in many different ways. Ebola is one of those many diseases that has made an impact in our world. It has been the cause of many deaths and has made its mark in our history. The way the West Africa played a role not only there but all over the world with advancements going into play to help prevent this virus from spreading. It has brought the world together to help find ways to try to prevent an outbreak like this to happen again.

The Ebola disease is a well-known virus all around the world, although it is not common in many places. This rare disease has been the cause of many deaths and has been very popular in the news headlines many times. Ebola is a very severe and often a deadly disease. According to MedlinePlus, Ebola has a number of symptoms including bleeding, diarrhea, and fever (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Some of these symptoms of Ebola are things we find pretty normal and have during just a cold or a stomach bug. This makes you wonder how could this disease be the cause of so many individual's deaths. One of the reason the virus has been so deadly is because it attacks the immune systems ability to get a defense against the disease. According to Mayo Clinic scientist still have not figured out why some people die from Ebola but others recover (Ebola virus and Marburg virus, 2017). I believe the standard of life is a big factor, for instance someone with clean water and a healthy diet I think would have a much better chance than someone with limited water and food.

In 1976 near the Ebola River, the Ebola virus was first discovered which is how it got its name. After the initial discovery, outbreaks began to happen from time to time. The first person to get the Ebola disease is referred to as patient zero this was the start of the Ebola break outs. According to the Fogarty International Center the first outbreak only lasted 11 weeks but was responsible for 280 deaths (Analysis of 1976). As a person with a very scientific mind and a scientific interest, it's hard to believe it took this many years for this disease to occur. After the first outbreak the spread began, scientist started searching for a source. After comparing and contrasting the people infected and the area they came to the conclusion that it was spread by the animals. Many scientists believe that the bats are the most likely source for the spread of the disease. A bat carrying the disease could transmit it to other animals, this includes humans. The disease spread like a wild fire once humans got infected. The disease is spread by human by direct contact of bodily fluids, blood, and objects of other infected humans. For males it could be spread to an partner by semen, the semen should be test twice according to WHO, to ensure that the semen is negative of the disease (World Health Organization). Preventing the spread of Ebola is extremely important, the risk of getting Ebola is not very high. According to family doctor the risk of getting Ebola increases if you travel to an area of Ebola outbreak, help take care of someone infected, or have direct contact with a dead body of someone who was infected by the virus (Familydoctor.org). If diagnosed with the Ebola virus disease, isolation is a precaution taken to help prevent in further spreading of the virus. Family doctor also mentions that there is not a vaccination for Ebola, but scientist are currently working on two that may be available in the future (Familydoctor.org).

This widespread disease has impacted many people, the places most impacted is Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Although cases have happened in other places even the United States nothing compares the numbers of cases and fatalities in these three countries. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa reported in 2014, was the deadliest outbreak of the virus since 1976. According to BBC News, it killed five times more than all other know Ebola outbreaks combined (Ebola: Mapping the outbreak 2016). This outbreak has not only cause a health catastrophe in West Africa, but also a huge impact on the economics in West Africa in many ways. The outbreak caused West Africa to have a change in the government budget. According to PBS, that about half the budget needs to be spent on health in comparison to the previous 8 percent (Ebola outbreak). When more money is need more taxes are charged, which means prices also go up. The outbreak keeps people from working, it also caused vital roads to be closed to help prevent the spread. Without workers and transportation, crop production had a major decrease. PBS also reported that food prices increased by 150 percent after the Ebola outbreak (Ebola outbreak).

The Ebola virus disease has had an infected many people, but something not really discussed is the impact in the children population. UNICEF reported that over 9.4 billion children live in the affected areas of the Ebola virus in West Africa (Children hardest hit 2016). This has numerous impacts on the children, we only think about the children who got infected but many also lost parents. According to the website UNICEF 16,000 plus children lost their parents to the disease. With the economic impact poverty increase as well as malnutrition and hunger (Children hardest hit, 2016). This was difficult for children with caregiver, but even more difficult for the many children left without someone to provide for them from the outbreak. Children were often turned away from remaining relatives, they feared that they could potentially be infected.

There are many reasons that there has not been an outbreak such as the West African outbreak in countries such as the United States. Many factors were put into play to prevent the virus from transporting into other countries. Being a developed country like the United State, we are more prepared and situated to respond to a virus such as the Ebola virus. Developed countries also have developed healthcare systems, this means they are more capable of responding effectively to Ebola. Many countries implemented screening programs at major international airports, this helped with preventing the virus to enter the country and cause an outbreak. The advancements in a developed country makes a huge different. Simply have proper sanitizing supplies gives us an upper hand in preventing an outbreak.

Ebola does not make just make you ill right away. It takes a while for the illness to run its course, it effects every individual differently. According to DHHS, it will most likely take from 2-21 days, but for the majority it will make people ill within 8-10 days (Frequently Asked Questions on Ebola Virus Disease, 2018). There is no current cure for the Ebola virus disease, but many scientists are trying to find a treatment for the disease. Manu different treatments have been used and it is still unclear on which impact these treatments have on people. The main treatment for Ebola is simply supportive care, a big part of it is make sure the patient infected with the Ebola Virus Disease is kept hydrated. This is similar to many other diseases we see in United States. Hydration is extremely important for the body. Without water we can survive since it makes up so much of our body. According to (who) it can be difficult to diagnose Ebola since many of the symptoms can be for many other diseases. Sample collections from potential infected personal are handled with extreme precautions. This is because the Ebola virus is transmitted with direct contact. If not handled with caution this could potentially lead to more infected people.

The Ebola Virus disease has been responsible for many deaths. With this tragic outbreak it has brought many awareness to the virus. This virus has many impacts on not just West Africa but the entire world. It has brought new research, treatments, and every put many protocols in place to help prevent another outbreak. This outbreak has been eye opening for the entire world and has shown how serious a deadly virus such as Ebola can be.

References

1. Analysis of 1976 Ebola outbreak holds lessons relevant today - Fogarty International Center @ NIH. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fic.nih.gov/News/Pages/2016-ebola-outbreak-1976-lessons-relevant.aspx
2. Children hardest hit. (2016, July 12). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/ebola/75941_76202.html
3. Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease). (2017, December 27). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/about.html
4. Ebola: Mapping the outbreak. (2016, January 14). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28755033
5. Ebola outbreak is latest example of globalization's risks. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ebola-outbreak-latest-example-globalizations-risks
6. Ebola virus and Marburg virus. (2017, November 07). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ebola-virus/symptoms-causes/syc-2035625
7. Ebola Virus Disease.MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001339.htm. Familydoctor.org editorial staff. (n.d.).
8. Ebola Virus Disease - familydoctor.org. Retrieved from https://familydoctor.org/condition/ebola-virus-disease/
9. Frequently Asked Questions on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). (2018). [ebook]
10. New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health Services. Available at: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/ebola/documents/faq-ebola.pdf [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018].
11. World Health Organization. (2018). Ebola virus disease. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2018].

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