Ebola Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ebola Virus - Essay Example Accordingly, there exists up to five Ebola virus species. Out of the five, only four can be accountable for causing diseases in humans. The Ebola virus disease is known to affect West and Central African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Guinea. In recent times, there have been plentiful reports of the illness finding its way to Asian countries and the United States a fact that has been made possible through the global travel of the infected persons out of Africa. Ebola virus was initially revealed in the year 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo near River Ebola, where the disease borrows its name (Peters and LeDuc ix). The illness was initially disregarded as a threat; consequently, no vaccine was developed. In addition, the earlier cases of the disease could be contained easily and in the event of fatalities, fewer deaths were reported. It took the attention of the United States military to study the possibilities of weaponizing the virus that made the disease widespread. However, the idea was dropped, and the current outbreaks are said to have originated from fruit bats. The virus was initially thought to be airborne; however, studies conducted by the University of Sussex revealed that it is transmitted through body fluids. Also, the virus finds its way into the human body through cuts on the skin and mucous membranes. The Ebola virus has also been found to be transmitted through sexual intercourse, physical contact by the infected persons and ingestion of breast milk. The disease incapacitates the immune system of the host victim. Persons infected with Ebola virus bear symptoms such as mild nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains, and bleeding from the eyes. The disease also halts the body from clotting blood resulting in gastrointestinal bleeding. This result to increased wear out of the intestinal mucous membranes and any cuts on the body will ooze blood endlessly (Brooks 32). The