Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans caused by Ebola virus. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, and bleeding.
Causative Agents:
EVD is caused by the Ebola virus.
There are five species of the virus, with the Zaire ebolavirus being the deadliest.
Mode of Transmission:
Direct contact with blood or body fluids from an infected person or dead body.
Contact with objects contaminated with the virus, like needles.
Consuming bushmeat or contact with infected animals, especially fruit bats, which are considered natural hosts.
Symptoms:
Sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and impaired kidney and liver function. In some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis is done via PCR tests, antigen-capture detection tests, and virus isolation by cell culture.
Laboratory testing using blood samples to confirm the virus presence.
Clinical diagnosis based on symptoms and exposure history.
General Principles of Prevention and Control:
1. Isolation:
Patients diagnosed with EVD should be isolated from others.
2. Safe Burial Practices:
Infected corpses remain infectious; hence, safe and respectful burial practices are crucial.
3. Animal Contact:
Reduce contact with wild animals, especially bats and primates, or raw bushmeat.
4. Health Monitoring:
Monitor the health of people who have come into contact with EVD patients.
5. Public Education:
Raise awareness about the nature of the disease and how it spreads.
Treatment
Treatment includes supportive care such as rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms.
Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, oxygen status, and blood pressure is crucial.
Experimental treatments have included antiviral drugs, immune therapies, and blood products from survivors.
Both SARS and EVD outbreaks underscore the importance of global collaboration and the vital role of public health education and preventive measures. Social and preventive pharmacy can be instrumental in these efforts by facilitating access to resources, providing education, and promoting safe practices.