What Is Ebola Virus and to what extent is Armenia ready to confront Ebola outbreak

YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS. Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia assures that strong safety measures are being taken to prevent the risk of Ebola in the country. The Ministry appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture, which had already suspended the import of wild animals, especially monkey, from Africa to Armenia. In a conversation with "Armenpress" this was said by Deputy Director General of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health Lilit Avetisyan. “In Armenia we do not have the natural source of the disease, special type of bats, from which animals are infected and later people. At most a case of infection may be discovered here when an infected person arrives in Armenia from other countries and only here the disease symptoms are observed, or through wild animals brought from African countries. In both cases, the Ministry of Health has taken the necessary measures. The first step that must be done is to raise the awareness of the public," commented Avetisyan.

In this current outbreak, which started in March, people in three countries --Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea -- have been infected after the outbreak began along a shared border.

The dangerous virus gets its name from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was near the site of one of the first outbreaks. The virus was first reported in 1976 in two almost simultaneous outbreaks in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They killed 151 and 280 people, respectively.

Certain bats living in tropical African forests are thought to be the natural hosts of the disease. The initial transmission of an outbreak usually results from a wild animal infecting a human, according to the WHO. Once the disease infects a person, it is easily transmissible between people in close contact.

Until this outbreak, approximately 2,361 people had been infected since the disease was identified in 1976. More than 1,548 of those infected died from it.

The World Health Organization has developed a set of guidelines to help prevent and control the spread of Ebola HF. Ebolais a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body.

As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding.

The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected.

Ebola isn’t as contagious as more common viruses likecolds, influenza, or measles. It spreads to people by contact with theskinor bodily fluids of an infected animal, like a monkey, chimp, or fruit bat. Then it moves from person to person the same way. Those who care for a sick person or bury someone who has died from the disease often get it.

Other ways to get Ebola include touching contaminated needles or surfaces.

You can’t get Ebola from air, water, or food. A person who has Ebola but has no symptoms can’t spread the disease, either.

What Are the Symptoms of Ebola?

Early on, Ebola can feel like the flu or other illnesses. Symptoms show up 2 to 21 days after infection and usually include:

High fever

Headache

Joint and muscle aches

Sore throat

Weakness

Stomach pain

Lack of appetite

As the disease gets worse, it causes bleeding inside the body, as well as from the eyes, ears and nose. Some people will vomit or cough upblood, have bloody diarrhea and get arash.

How Is Ebola Diagnosed?

Sometimes it's hard to tell if a person has Ebola from the symptoms alone. Doctors may test to rule out other diseases likecholeraormalaria.

Tests of blood and tissues also can diagnose Ebola.

If you have Ebola, you’ll be isolated from the public immediately to prevent the spread.

Prevention includes decreasing the spread of disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking such animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may also be helpful, as are wearing protective clothing andwashing handswhen around a person with the disease. Samples of bodily fluids and tissues from people with the disease should be handled with special caution.

There is no specific treatment for the disease.Efforts to help those who are infected are supportive and include giving eitheroral rehydration therapy (slightly sweet and salty water to drink) or intravenous fluids.

As of August 2014, more than 1,750 suspected cases have been reported.Efforts are ongoing to develop avaccine; however, none yet exists.