The Ebola Outbreak: What Every American Needs To Know

This year has quickly become the year of the Ebola virus. The recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa has begun attracting attention in the U.S. for good reason. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that the chances of the virus spreading to the U.S. are low, it doesn’t change how fast it is spreading. A Fatal Disease Ebola virus disease is fatal for humans, with a 50 to 90 percent fatality rate, and since early 2014, nearly 600 people have died and more than 1,200 have become infected with the deadly virus, including two American aid workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified symptoms of the virus as being influenza-like, including a sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is usually followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Transmission of the virus has been linked to close contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals, specifically fruit bats which can carry the virus and still be unaffected by it. Once infected, a human can also infect another human through the same close contact of bodily fluids, including blood and semen. Currently, there is no remedy or vaccine for the virus. The Current Spread Discovered in 1976, the Ebola virus has remained a concern to Central and West African countries, but 2014 is the year in which the largest outbreak of the virus occurred, prompting Libe...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Africa Ebola ebola virus Epidemic Guinea Liberia Nigeria Pandemic Sierra Leone Source Type: news