The Ebola Virus

Life

is a biological internet in which viruses travel like

messages, moving at high speed from node to

node and from city to city. They are diverse and

wild spread in every plane on the surface of the

earth. Ironically, such invisible creatures have a

substantially enormous effects on human life and

health. In most cases, Viruses are harmful and

sometimes deadly. One of these deadly viruses is

the Ebola virus, a highly contagious, deadly and

mysterious microbe, known to be the most lethal

virus known to human kind that have caused many

devastation. The mere essence of their existence is

not to cause harm, they are living organisms who

want to reproduce and spread with the help of a

host. The Ebola virus, like most viruses, consists

of a shell of proteins surrounding genetic material,

like RNA and DNA. Once inside the cell, the

virus gets hold to the host cell and the virus may

enter the cell as it injects its genetic material into

the host cell. The virus then uses the host cell's

machinery to replicate themselves and make new

copies of itself. Each new copy of the virus directs

the host cell to make it a protein shell. The new

viruses leave the host cell to other cells and repeat

the same process over and over again. Although

man is not Ebola's natural host, the virus infects

people, and the adventure is suicidal as the

infected victims struggle with the symptoms The

infected victim staggers, disoriented and

exhausted, and collapses in a fever, which is

known as the Haemorrhagic fever. The fever is

characterized by weakness, muscle pain,

headache and sore throat. The victim's eyes turn

bright red, and starts vomiting blood. The tongue

peels, and the heart muscle becomes soft.

Scientists believe that when the victim get in

contact with the virus, the virus first triggers a

combination of blood clots and hemorrhages. The

patient's bloodstream throws clots, and the clots

lodge everywhere, especially in the spleen, liver,

and brain, then it settle in the victim throat.

Bleeding involves the nose, abdomen, and

pericardium. Capillary leakage appears to lead to

loss of interavascular volume leading the patient to

fall in a shock and acute respiratory disorder

leaving the patient desperately trying to gasp their

breath. The virus kills its victims so quickly, before

it even can infect others. The incubation period for

the Ebola virus ranges from 2 to 21 days,

depending upon the method of infection. The

Ebola virus can be diagnosed with laboratory

testing of blood specimens under maximum

containment conditions as the high risk of infection

to those handling infected blood remains a

nightmare to them. Infection of this deadly virus

occurs through the blood and is replicated in

organs like the Liver, lymphatic organs, and the

kidneys. However, it is spread through close

personal contact with the infected person who is

very ill with the disease. Normally, the wild spread

of Ebola virus takes place among hospital care

workers or family members who were aiding an

infected person. Ebola can spread by the reuse of

hypodermic needles, which occurs frequently in

underdeveloped countries like Zaire and Sudan,

but it is unlikely to become infected by close

contact with persons infected who show no

symptoms. Three outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic

fever among people had been reported. The first

two outbreaks were in 1976: one in Zaire and one

in western Sudan. These were large outbreaks,

resulting in more than 550 cases and 340 deaths.

The third outbreak, in 1979 in Sudan, was smaller,

with 34 cases and 22 fatalities. During each of

these outbreaks, a majority of cases occurred in

hospital settings under the challenging conditions of

the developing world.

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