Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, hereinafter referred to as Ebola) is a serious and often fatal disease with a mortality rate as high as 90%. This disease can attack humans and other primates (monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees).
1976, Ebola virus was first discovered in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in a village near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the other in a remote area in Sudan.
The source of this virus is still unknown. However, according to the available evidence, it is considered that fruit bats (Muscidae) may be the natural host of Ebola virus.
2. How did people get infected with this virus?
Humans are infected with Ebola virus through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected animals. In Africa, people are infected through contact with chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines in infected or dead rainforests. It is important to reduce contact with high-risk animals (fruit bats, monkeys or apes), including picking up dead animals found in the forest or handling their raw meat.
Once someone comes into contact with an animal infected with Ebola virus, it may cause interpersonal communication within the community. When people come into direct contact with the blood, body fluids or other secretions (feces, urine, saliva and sperm) of infected people through damaged skin or mucosa, infection can be caused. Infections can also occur when healthy people's damaged skin or mucous membranes come into contact with the environment or objects (such as dirty clothes, sheets or used needles) contaminated by Ebola patients' blood and body fluids.
If medical staff do not wear proper personal protective equipment when treating Ebola patients, they may be exposed to the virus. Medical and health personnel at all levels of health systems (hospitals, clinics and health stations) should understand the nature and mode of disease transmission and strictly abide by the recommended infection control and protection measures.
At the funeral of Ebola's deceased, direct contact between people and the bodies of the deceased is also an important way for Ebola virus to spread. Therefore, people must put on protective clothing and gloves when dealing with the bodies that died of Ebola, and bury the dead immediately.
As long as there is Ebola virus in patients' blood and secretions, it will be contagious. Therefore, infected patients should be closely observed by medical staff and undergo laboratory tests to ensure that the virus does not exist before patients leave the hospital and go home. When the medical staff determines that the patient can go home, the patient is no longer contagious and will not cause infection to anyone else in the community. Men may still transmit the virus to their sexual partners through semen within 7 weeks after rehabilitation. Therefore, men should avoid sexual intercourse for at least 7 weeks after rehabilitation, or wear condoms during sexual intercourse within 7 weeks after rehabilitation.
3. Who has the highest risk of infection?
In the case of an epidemic, people with high risk of infection are:
(1) medical staff;
(2) Family members or others who have close contact with patients;
(3) Persons who have direct contact with the remains of the deceased during the funeral;
(4) People who come into contact with the dead animals in the forest in the rainforest area.
More research is needed to know whether patients with immunodeficiency or other basic diseases are more susceptible to the virus than others.
In clinics and hospitals, community gatherings or at home, you can take protective measures to reduce the chances of exposure to the virus.
4. What are the typical symptoms and signs of Ebola virus infection?
Typical symptoms and signs include sudden fever, extreme fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. Vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired renal function and liver function will follow, and some cases will have internal bleeding and external bleeding at the same time.
Clinical test results include the decrease of white blood cell count and platelet count, and the increase of liver enzyme.
The incubation period is 2-2 1 day. Once the patient begins to show symptoms, it is contagious. The patient is not contagious during the incubation period.
Ebola virus infection can only be diagnosed by laboratory tests.
5. When should people see a doctor?
When people have been to areas where Ebola virus disease is known to exist, or come into contact with people who are known or suspected to have Ebola virus disease and begin to show symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately.
When a patient is suspected to have the disease, he should report it to the nearest health institution immediately. Timely medical treatment is very important to improve the survival rate of patients. At the same time, the infection control plan should be started immediately to control the spread of the disease.
6. How to treat Ebola virus disease?
Severe patients need intensive supportive treatment. Patients are often dehydrated and need intravenous or oral rehydration to replenish electrolytes. There is no specific therapy at present.
Some patients can recover after getting proper treatment.
In order to control the further spread of the virus, suspected cases or confirmed cases should be isolated from other patients and treated by health workers who take strict infection protection measures.
7. What can I do? Can this disease be prevented?
There is currently no approved Ebola vaccine. Several vaccines are undergoing clinical trials, but no vaccine is available for clinical use at present.
The only way to reduce morbidity and mortality is to raise awareness of risk factors and take effective protective measures.
Methods to prevent infection and transmission
Although the initial Ebola case was caused by the handling of infected animals or their carcasses, the subsequent infected cases were usually caused by direct contact with case body fluids or unsafe case management and funeral operations. The epidemic was mainly caused by interpersonal communication. Take the following measures to help prevent infection and limit transmission:
(1) Understand the nature of the disease, how the disease spreads and how to prevent the disease from spreading further.
(2) in line with the guidance documents issued by the national health department.
(3) If people around you are suspected of being infected with Ebola virus, encourage and support them to seek medical treatment in medical institutions.
(4) Appropriate protective equipment must be worn when dealing with Ebola deaths.
In addition, individuals should reduce contact with high-risk infected animals (such as bats, monkeys or apes) in the affected tropical rain forest areas. If you suspect that animals are infected, don't deal with them again. Animal products (blood and meat) should be cooked before eating.
8. What about the medical staff? How to protect yourself in the face of the high risk brought by nursing patients' diagnosis and treatment?
Medical staff who treat suspected cases or confirmed cases face a higher risk of infection than others.
(1) In addition to the standard protective measures, medical personnel should strictly take the recommended infection control measures to avoid contact with patients' blood, body fluids or environment or articles contaminated by Ebola virus (such as patients' dirty sheets or used needles).
(2) Medical staff should fully understand diseases and how to safely manage clinical cases.
(3) Personal protective equipment should be used, such as protective clothing, gloves, masks, goggles or protective masks.
(4) Personal protective equipment shall not be reused unless properly disinfected.
(5) gloves should be replaced after each suspected case diagnosis and treatment.
(6) Invasive operations make doctors, nurses and others more susceptible to infection and should be carried out under strict safety conditions.
(7) Ebola patients should be treated in isolation.
9. What do you think of the rumor that certain foods can prevent or treat infections?
WHO strongly recommends that people should get reliable health advice from public health departments.
Because there is no specific medicine for Ebola, the best treatment is to provide intensive support treatment for patients by hospital health workers under strict infection control procedures. According to the recommended protective measures, further infection can be controlled.
10. who: will who protect health during the epidemic?
WHO provides technical advice to countries to prevent and respond to the Ebola outbreak.
Actions taken by WHO include:
(1) Carry out disease surveillance, share information among regions and monitor epidemic situation.
(2) once an epidemic occurs, provide technical support for investigation and epidemic control, such as assisting in case search on the spot and tracking the mode of disease transmission.
(3) Suggestions on prevention and treatment programs.
(4) According to the requirements of relevant countries, send experts and provide sanitary materials (such as personal protective equipment for health workers).
(5) Strengthen communication and improve people's understanding of the nature of the disease and the protective measures to control the spread of the virus.
(6) Initiate regional and global expert networks and provide support upon request to mitigate possible international health impacts and impacts on travel and trade.
1 1. Why did the number of cases reported by health officials fluctuate during the epidemic?
When the Ebola outbreak occurred, the public health authorities in the country where the epidemic occurred reported the number of cases and deaths. These figures may change every day. The number of cases includes the number of suspected cases and the number of confirmed cases in the laboratory. The number of suspected cases and the number of confirmed cases are sometimes reported together and sometimes separately. Therefore, the number of suspected and confirmed cases may change.
Analyzing the changing trend of cases with time and other information is very helpful to evaluate the public health situation and determine the appropriate response measures.
12. Is it safe to travel in case of epidemic? What travel advice does WHO have?
During the epidemic, WHO regularly evaluates the public health situation and proposes travel or trade restrictions when necessary.
Because the interpersonal transmission of Ebola is caused by direct contact with the body fluids or secretions of infected patients, the risk of travelers being infected is very low.
Who's general tourism advice:
(1) Passengers should avoid any contact with patients.
(2) Medical personnel going to WHO epidemic areas should strictly abide by the infection control guidelines recommended by WHO.
(3) Anyone who has stayed in the area where the case was recently reported should know the symptoms of the disease and seek medical advice at the first sign of the disease.
(4) Clinicians who provide diagnosis and treatment services for travelers returning from epidemic areas with related symptoms should consider the possibility of patients being infected with Ebola virus.
13. who is the conclusion of who's risk assessment of Ebola epidemic in west Africa?
The risk of cross-border travel spreading to neighboring countries is high.
A little further away in Africa, the risk is moderate.
The risk of transmission outside Africa is low.
14. who is the conclusion of who's personal travel and traffic risk assessment?
Travelers and businessmen returning from infected countries are at very low risk.
People who visit relatives and friends have a low risk of infection (unless they have direct contact with patients/corpses/animals infected with Ebola virus).
The risk of infection is low when traveling with patients (but the contacts should be tracked).
If protection is carried out according to basic medical norms, the risk of infection of medical staff working in epidemic areas is very low to very low.