EBOLA VIRUS: FACTS, SYMPTOMS AND PREVENTIION

The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Researchers believe fruit bats are the most likely host of the the virus. The virus is considered extremely infectious, because a small amount can cause illness, but it's not extremely contagious.

Since the World Health Organization, WHO, announced the most recent outbreak on May 22 2014, over 1000 cases have been recorded and over 930 deaths confirmed.


The disease emerged in the remote areas of Guinea and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. On August 8th 2014, WHO announced the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa an international emergency. Experts say this is the highest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.

Ebola is not an airborne disease and could be considered moderately contagious since humans can only be infected only when they come in contact with body fluids from an infected person or or touch contaminated objects. Humans can also be infected by the virus by eating undercooked infected meat and touching infected animals.

So far there's no vaccine or cure for Ebola, but two American health workers who got infected by the virus in West Africa are being treated in an Atlanta hospital. They're being treated with an experimental drug developed by a private biotech firm, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. WHO has said it's considering making the experimental drug available to patients in Africa.

Several people have claimed that the disease can be cured by bathing in salt water and drinking salt water, please do not pay attention to this claim as it is baseless.

Symptoms of Ebola include: weakness, fever, aches, diarrhea, vommitting and stomach pain. Symptoms appear 8-10 days after exposure to the virus, but the incubation period can span 2-21 days depending on your immune system.

Preventive measures include: frequent hand wash, avoiding contact with infected people and following infection-control procedure (by wearing protective clothing when treating an infected person).

Above all remember that Jesus heals, but that doesn't mean you should be careless and take preventive measures and symptoms for granted.

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