Ebola virus disease commonly known as ebola was first described in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in the democratic republic of the congo and what is now south sudan. Infected animals can transmit the virus to humans that are in any health condition. The variety of factors that contributed to the initial undetected spread of ebola virus disease in west africa during 202016 and the difficulty controlling the outbreak once the etiology was identified highlight priorities for disease prevention, detection, and response. A year after the deadliest ebola outbreak ever in africa, the virus has returned. The figure above is a map of west africa, showing the wide geographic spread of cases of ebola viral disease during the ongoing outbreak. The first evd outbreak was reported in the 1970s in zaire now the democratic. Ebola virus disease outbreak west africa, september 2014.
The 2014 ebola virus ebov outbreak in west africa is the largest outbreak of the genus ebolavirusto date. The ebola virus can cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever ebola hf outbreaks in. Socioeconomic impact of ebola virus disease in west african. The recent ebola virus outbreak is in west africa, and is centered in parts of guinea and liberia. The ebola virus can cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever ebola hf outbreaks in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. Experience tells us that ebola outbreaks can be contained, even. Genetic and epidemiological evidence from who officially confirms that the outbreak of ebola virus disease in the democratic republic of congo is unrelated to that ravaging west africa. Ebola outbreak of 201416, also called 2014 ebola outbreak in west africa or ebola outbreak of 2014, outbreak of ebola virus disease that ravaged countries in western africa in 201416 and was noted for its unprecedented magnitude. In march 2014, the ministry of health of guinea notified the world health organization of an ebola virus disease outbreak in the southeastern part of the country. The outbreak started in guinea and rapidly spread to liberia and sierra leone, claiming thousands of lives.
Ehf has been associated with large human outbreaks, with case fatality rates for zebov as high as 90% 7, 8, 9. The latest 2014 breakout started in west africa, first cases notified in march 2014, is the largest and most complex ebola outbreak since the. Combining this result with that of the macroeconomic model, we determine. Zaire ebolavirus, bundibugyo ebolavirus, and sudan ebolavirus are the three species of ebola virus responsible for the larger outbreaks in africa. West african ebola virus epidemic timeline of reported cases. Perspectives on west africa ebola virus disease outbreak.
Ebola virus disease evd started as a minor infection in uganda in 1974 and has been frequent in central africa region for the past 40 years. Visit the ebola outbreak section for information on current ebola outbreaks on march 23, 2014, the world health organization who reported cases of ebola virus disease evd in the forested rural region of southeastern guinea. Ebola returns, and central africas virus hunters are ready. Detailed information about the ebola virus and the epidemiology of evd can be found in a first update, entitled outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, published on 8 april 2014. In 1976, the investigation of concurrent outbreaks of a hemorrhagic fever syndrome ebola virus disease evd in zaire currently democratic republic of congo and sudan currently republic of south sudan 1,2 led to isolation of 2 viruses now referred to as ebola virus ebov and sudan virus, respectively, and to identification of a newly recognized viral hemorrhagic fever genus. Ebola returns, and central africas virus hunters are. The outbreak led to the discovery of a new species of ebola virus, namely ciebov le guenno et al. Zaire, sudan and bundibugyo ebola viruses are accountable for most of the ehf epidemic but zebov establish a particularly serious threat to both human and nhps in subsaharan africa. On 11 june 2019, the who confirmed that a fiveyearold boy in uganda died after being diagnosed with ebola. Both patients have been released from the hospital after testing confirmed that they no longer have ebola virus in their blood. Zaire ebolavirus is the deadliest strain with sudan second, and also the one that is causing the current outbreak. The ebola virus disease outbreak now ravaging parts of west africa is the largest on record. Ebola virus disease who regional office for africa. Department statistics, karnatak university, dharwad, india abstract.
Subsequent outbreaks of ebola in uganda, gabon, south africa, sudan and zaire. Distribution of ebola virus disease prevalence probability for west africa countries. Exacerbation of the disease may occur in the coming months because the topic is very important, i decided to refresh some information about this deadly disease. The 2014 epidemic got as bad as it did in part because west africa had no real experience with ebola, and in part because the disease spread from rural areas to citiesin guinea, liberia, and. Ebola virus disease in west africa pubmed central pmc. The first outbreaks of ehf occurred nearly simultaneously in 1976 in the democratic republic of the congo drc, former zaire and sudan with very high case fatality rates of 88% and 53%, respectively. Rapid risk assessment outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, seventh update, 17 oct 2014 2 the options for risk reduction are. The emergence of ebola as a global health security. Therefore, the patent was for the invention of a diagnosticmethod for detecting the bundibugyo strain of the ebola virus. Estimating the reproduction number of ebola virus ebov. Ebola virus disease formerly known as ebola haemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90% caused by ebola virus, a member of the filovirus family. The first evd outbreak was reported in the 1970s in zaire now the democratic republic of the congo.
An outbreak of ebola virus disease evd in west africa, with onset in early february 2014, is evolving in guinea and liberia. The 2014 ebola virus disease evd outbreak in west africa is the longest, largest, deadliest, and the most complex in history. Zaire ebolavirus, the most fatal ebola virus, was associated with the 20142016 outbreak in west africa, the largest ebola outbreak to date with more than 28,600 cases. Aug 01, 2014 haemorrhagic fever in guinea, dated 23 march 2014 12. As of august 27, no confirmed ebola cases have been reported in the united states. Since the west africa ebola epidemic, there have been trials for a new vaccine, but currently there is no licensed ebola vaccine. At present, there is still no registered prophylaxis or curative biologicals against evd. For over 40 years, ebola was treated as an african disease, called a fever and known by other names where occurrences have been frequent.
Rapid risk assessment outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, 8 april 2014 3 haemorrhagic manifestations can appear in more than half of the patients bloody diarrhoea, nosebleeds, haematemesis, petechiae, ecchymosis and puncture bleedings. By combining classic field investigations with an assay that can measure ebola virus. In march 2014, an outbreak of evd was recognized in guinea which would become the most significant outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in africa to date. A table of all known ebola outbreaks can be found in the who report who. Between 1994 and 1996, outbreaks of ebolazaire occurred in parts of south africa, gabon, and the congo. Oct 16, 2014 because ebola virus is spread mainly through contact with the body fluids of symptomatic patients, transmission can be stopped by a combination of early diagnosis, contact tracing, patient isolation and care, infection control, and safe burial. The world health organization who announced saturday that an outbreak of ebola in the far north of the country. Ebola haemorrhagic fever in gabon 1994, 1996, 1997 and 20012002. According to the world health organization, ebola has been blamed for 11,310 deaths in the west africa nations of liberia, guinea and sierra leone, out of a total 28,616 cases.
The outbreak started in guinea and rapidly spread to liberia. On 1 august 2018, the democratic republic of the congo ministry of health declared an outbreak when 4 individuals tested positive for the ebola virus. This list of ebola outbreaks records the known occurrences of ebola virus disease, a highly. The two outbreaks were caused by two distinct species of ebola virus named zaire ebolavirus zebov. This information was published four days ago on the 15th of january 2016 by who. This type of work is necessary for the development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs for ebola. Over the past 40 years, sporadic ebola virus disease evd outbreaks have occurred mostly in the central african region. To reduce the risk of infecti on in west africa the following options are available. Dec, 2018 for example, the reebov antigen rapid test for ebola virus infection developed during the recent epidemic could be deployed throughout subsaharan africa to help detect new outbreaks 99,100.
The 202016 outbreak, caused by ebola virus ebov 37 was the first anywhere in the world to reach epidemic proportions. E1e8 june 2012 with 366 reads how we measure reads. In march 2014, the world health organization who reported a major ebola outbreak in guinea, a western african nation, the disease then rapidly spread to the neighboring countries of liberia and sierra leone with smaller outbreaks occurring in senegal, nigeria, and mali. Ebola virus disease, which shows that the historical fatality of the zaire strain has been between 44% and above 90%. This article is an overview of the many published investigations of how ebola virus circulates in its natural environment, focusing on the viral reservoir, susceptible animal species, environmental conditions favoring interspecies transmission, and how. Past and present article pdf available in the onderstepoort journal of veterinary research 792. While public health interventions have been introduced in all affected countries, the numbers.
Since ebola virus disease was staff participated in the smallpox eradication program, one identifiedin west africa on march 23, 2014, the centers for disease control and prevention cdc has undertaken the most intensive response in the agencys history. Ebola virus was identified in 1976 after simultaneous, highly lethal outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred in northern zaire now the democratic republic of congo drc and southern sudan, each caused by a different strain of the virus muyembetamfum et al. Analysis of ebola epidemic outbreaks in west africa talawar a. Jan 14, 2016 deadly ebola outbreak ends in west africa for now. During the fallout from the 2014 ebola outbreak in west africa.
Pdf ebola virus disease evd is a lifethreatening viral disease with a fatality rate. West africa, in guinea, and it spread rapidly to neighboring countries. That result meant that the volunteer had survived an encounter with that virus in the past. These factors include occurrence in a region recovering from civil instability and lacking experience with ebola. By january 2016, suspected and confirmed cases had totaled more than 28,600, and reported deaths numbered about 11,300, making the outbreak significantly larger. Biology 101, mwf 10am ebola paper ebola virus over the past couple years, discussion regarding the ebola virus has gone viral and ignited chaos both domestically and abroad. Analysis of ebola epidemic outbreaks in west africa. Ebola virus disease in west africa no early end to the.
In the present paper, we used a seir model developed by astacio, et al. Documented human and nonhuman primate outbreaks in africa ebola viruses constitute a serious threat to both human and wildlife health in the congo and. Ebola virus disease in west africa the first 9 months of. Stopping the virus in west africa is an investment in keeping it from u. The 2014 ebola outbreak in western africa has been the most severe. Several countries spanning the equatorial forest regions of africa have had outbreaks of ebola hemorrhagic fever over the last three decades. Number of cases of ebola viral disease n 398, by week of symptom onset guinea, 2014 cases reported as of june 18, 2014.
As of september 14, 2014, a total of 4507 confirmed and probable cases of ebola virus disease evd, as well as 2296 deaths from the virus, had been reported from five countries in west africa. Center for emerging and zoonotic diseases, national institute for. Oct 11, 2015 ebola virus disease evd started as a minor infection in uganda in 1974 and has been frequent in central africa region for the past 40 years. The tremendous outbreak of ebola virus disease occurring in west africa since the end of 20 surprises by its remoteness from previous epidemics and dramatic extent. The 20142016 ebola outbreak in west africa has ended. She was the division head of microbiology at henry ford hospital in detroit, mi, for 12 years prior to joining the faculty at.
The zaire strain was first detected in the congo drc in 1976. According to the inventors, crossprotection studies will need to be done. For example, the reebov antigen rapid test for ebola virus infection developed during the recent epidemic could be deployed throughout subsaharan africa to help detect new outbreaks 99,100. The figure above is a bar chart showing the number of cases of ebola viral disease evd in the ongoing outbreak that were reported from guinea, by week of symptom onset in during 2014. The natural history of ebola virus in africa sciencedirect. Number of new cases of ebola virus disease reported west africa, august 31september 20, 2014 cumulative number of reported ebola virus disease cases per 100,000 persons since december 22, 20. Ebola in west africa cdcs role in epidemic detection. The outbreak began in guinea in december 201 and later spread to sierra leone, liberia and nigeria. Both patients have been released from the hospital after testing confirmed that they no longer have ebola virus in. As noted in a recent report from the who, ebola in west africa was an old disease in a new context that favored rapid and initially invisible spread who, 2015d. Ebola is a virus that was discovered back in 1976, but has not failed to grab peoples attention in the recent years 1. As of june 18, 2014, a total of 528 cases, including 337 deaths, had been reported from guinea, liberia, and sierra leone. Unfortunately, many lessons learned from nearly four decades of ebola outbreaks in central africa did not inform the response when the virus emerged in guinea in 20. Because it has spread to urban areas, it is different from earlier outbreaks, which were usually.
It provides an update on research on the ecology of ebola viruses, modes of contamination and human transmission of the. The virus is native to the continent of africa, where occasional outbreaks have occurred for years. Ebola virus disease cumulative incidence west africa, september 20, 2014 boffa boke fria gaoual koundara conakry. Because ebola virus is spread mainly through contact with the body fluids of symptomatic patients, transmission can be stopped by a combination of early diagnosis, contact tracing, patient isolation and care, infection control, and safe burial.
Tracking virus outbreaks in the twentyfirst century nature. Ebolavirus disease ebola outbreaks in africa important information for clinicians in secondary or tertiary care 6 june 2018 key point clinicians should be alert to the possibility of ebola in unwell travellers returning from affected areas of africa, and obtain a full travel and exposure history. The genesis of the ebola virus outbreak in west africa the lancet. Ninety percent of these ebolazaire cases, and 50 percent of these ebolasudan cases, resulted in death. Pdf over the past 40 years, sporadic ebola virus disease evd outbreaks have occurred mostly in the central african region. West african ebola virus epidemic timeline of reported.
Ebola virus disease, which shows that the historical fatality of the zaire. In the final stages of the disease, patients start leaking blood from every orifice and eventually bleed to death. The west african countries of guinea, liberia, and sierra leone have been. Lessons from the ebola outbreak in west africa the. The reemergence of the same virus that hadnt been seen since the 1970s, and the fact that the virus was almost virtually the same, has scientists concerned by the durability and resilience of the virus. Until 20, most outbreaks occurred in the central africa region, including zaire, sudan and uganda. Analysis of the short and mediumterm costs of the ebola epidemic should spur governments of nonaffected countries to act quickly to put in place preventive measures. Unlike past occurrences, which affected remote locations, the current outbreak is. Location of cases of ebola viral disease west africa, 2014 cases reported as of june 18, 2014.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever that kills most of its victims within a few days. Who responds to ebola virus disease outbreak in west africa. Infectious%20diseases%20and%20impact%20assessments. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, fourth update, 3 sep 2014. However, a milder strain has been found in both pigs and monkeys in the philippines. The first cases were recorded in guinea in december 20. The western african ebola virus epidemic 202016 was the most widespread outbreak of ebola virus disease evd in historycausing major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in guinea, liberia and sierra leone. Essay on the elusive natural history of ebola viruses intechopen. Tracking virus outbreaks in the twentyfirst century. The recent outbreak of ebola virus disease evd in west africa has highlighted both the importance of rapid and accurate diagnosis of this disease and the challenges around diagnostic testing. However soon after this, a new confirmed case has been identified in sierra leone.
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