Stull, ms,3 richard duffy, ms,4 james melius, md, dr. Ebola virus disease evd is a zoonosis that causes severe and often fatal haemorrhagic fever in humans 1. Ebola virus disease evd faq for clinicians ebola general questions q. Hunting and butchering of wildlife great apes and fruit bats has been identified in previous outbreaks as. Ebola virus prototype viral hemorrhagic fever pathogen filovirus. Each of the known cases and outbreaks of ebola virus disease are described below by year or country where the case was discovered or imported.
Ebola virus disease who regional office for africa. Commentary occupational safety and health protections against ebola virus disease knut ringen, dr. 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. Sep 23, 2014 the case fatality rate cfr for the 2014 ebola outbreak in west africa has been widely reported to be much lower than for most previous outbreaks. As ebola has managed to spread outside of west africa, it is imperative to diligently contain the infection in all affected localities. The ongoing ebola virus outbreak in the democratic republic of the congo has similar epidemiological features to previous ebola virus disease outbreaks. According to the inventors, crossprotection studies will need to be done. Evaluation of unicefs response to the ebola outbreak in west africa 20142015 of cases began to dwindle in late 2015 and by early 2016, the outbreak was limited to flare ups in hotspot communities. The organizations missteps in the early days of the outbreak are now legendary. The world health organization who announced saturday that an outbreak of ebola in the far north of the country. Oct 28, 2014 ebola virus disease cumulative incidence west africa, october 18, 2014 cumulative number of reported ebola virus disease cases per 100,000 persons since december 22, 20. Ebola virus in wild primates has contributed to a marked reduction in the populations of chimpanzees pan troglodytes and gorillas gorilla gorilla in central africa ryan and walsh 2011. These factors include occurrence in a region recovering from civil instability and lacking experience with ebola. The case fatality rate cfr for the 2014 ebola outbreak in west africa has been widely reported to be much lower than for most previous outbreaks.
Analysis of ebola epidemic outbreaks in west africa. The forecast of the number of cases does not exceed the current capacity to respond if the. This is the ninth ebola virus disease evd outbreak in the. The essential specimens for virus detection are venous whole blood in an edta lavender or purple top containing tube plus a. The figure above is a map of west africa showing ebola virus disease cumulative incidence as of september 20, 2014.
The present outbreak is the first documented human outbreak of evd in west africa, save one exception. 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. 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. A comprehensive database of the geographic spread of past.
The pathogens responsible for the disease are the five ebolaviruses recognized by the international committee on taxonomy of viruses. Outbreaks in africa occur mainly in the congo and nile. The outbreak led to the discovery of a new species of ebola virus, namely ciebov le guenno et al. Ebola can also be transmitted via contact with blood, fluids, or meat of an infected animal limited evidence that dogs become infected with ebola virus no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick with or transmitting ebola ebola virus transmission data on urine and feces based on pcr positivity only. The previous blog post ebola virus disease outbreak, west africa, 2014 presented the current situation of the outbreak of ebola virus disease evd that is currently taking place in guinea, sierra leone liberia and nigeria. Ebola haemorrhagic fever in gabon 1994, 1996, 1997 and 20012002. As of august 27, no confirmed ebola cases have been reported in the united states. Pdf ebola haemorrhagic fever ehf is a zoonosis affecting both human and nonhuman primates nhp.
The recent example of an infectious disease outbreak is the 20142015 ebola outbreak world health organization, 2014c. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in the democratic republic. Both patients have been released from the hospital after testing confirmed that they no longer have ebola virus in. Jan 14, 2016 the most important tools in fighting ebola were simple public health interventions that have stopped all ebola outbreaks in the past, said amesh adalja, a senior associate at the center for.
These outbreaks are likely the result of contact between these animals and an asyet unidenti. Ebolavirus disease ebola outbreaks in africa important information for clinicians in secondary or tertiary. Ebola symptoms include sudden onset of fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and sore throat. Ebola virus disease, which shows that the historical fatality of the zaire strain has been between 44% and above 90%. Ebola virus disease in west africa, eighth update, 18 november 2014.
Analysis of ebola epidemic outbreaks in west africa talawar a. Outbreaks of ebola virus can cause substantial morbidity and mortality in affected regions. Oct 23, 2014 ebola is a zoonotic filovirus that has the potential to cause outbreaks of variable magnitude in human populations. The 202016 outbreak, caused by ebola virus ebov 37 was the first anywhere in the world to reach epidemic proportions. Counts of ebola were highest in the area around monrovia and in the district of bong, liberia. Perspectives on west africa ebola virus disease outbreak.
As of 20 february 2020 the outbreak is still ongoing. Ebola outbreak, caused by zaire ebolavirus ebov, occurred. The largest outbreak of ebola to date is currently underway in west africa, with 3944 cases reported as of 5th. Oct 30, 2017 ebola virus disease evd is a contagious, severe and often lethal form of hemorrhagic fever in humans. Centers for disease control and prevention, national center for emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases ncezid, division of highconsequence pathogens and pathology dhcpp, viral special pathogens branch vspb ebola ebola virus disease. Ebola virus likely exists in an animal reservoir in rural areas of africa. Ebola virus was first described in 1976 near the ebola river in what is now the democratic republic of congo. In this brief the bioethics commission focuses on ethical challenges raised by the current ebola epidemic in western africa, with a particular focus on the u. Sep 30, 2014 ebola virus disease cumulative incidence west africa, september 20, 2014 cumulative number of reported ebola virus disease cases per 100,000 persons since december 22, 20. Rapid risk assessment outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, eighth update, 18 nov 2014 2 disease, after evd is confirmed, when patients may experience very high viral loads and severe loss of bodily fluids, and undergo contaminationprone invasive procedure in intensive care units. Documented human and nonhuman primate outbreaks in africa ebola viruses constitute a serious threat to both human and wildlife health in the congo and. The current outbreak is taking place in health zones neighbouring.
Evd outbreaks have had an average case fatality rate of 50%. Chronology of ebola virus disease outbreaks, 19762014. In contrast to ebola reston, which originates in asia and has never been reported to cause human disease 4,5, the other three subtypes circulate on the. Andersen,7 8 t he 202016 ebola virus disease evd epidemic in west africa appears to have begun following human contact with an animal probably bat reservoir of ebola virus ebov in december 20. Ebola has demonstrated that disease threats do not stop at passport control and that health security is national security. 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. It provides an update on research on the ecology of ebola viruses, modes of contamination and human transmission of the. Ebola virus disease evd is a severe, and can be a fatal illness in humans. History of ebola virus disease error processing ssi file. Ebola virus disease outbreak west africa, october 2014. Potential for large outbreaks of ebola virus disease. 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. On 11 june 2019, the who confirmed that a fiveyearold boy in uganda died after being diagnosed with ebola.
The ebola virus is considered one of the deadliest viruses ever known, with a case fatality proportion varying from 25 to 90% in past outbreaks world health organization, 2014c. 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. Lessons from the ebola outbreak in west africa the. The emergence of ebola as a global health security threat. A table of all known ebola outbreaks can be found in the who report who. Infectious disease outbreaks have been an immense challenge for humanity. In the present paper, we used a seir model developed by astacio, et al. Interim guidance about ebola virus infection for airline flight. For the current one, see 201819 kivu ebola outbreak. All three countries were eventually declared ebolafree by january 2016. Why is this outbreak so widespread compared to previous outbreaks. According to the inventors, crossprotection studies will need to. 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. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa ecdc.
Risk may also be increased in central africa compared to other regions. The first outbreak occurred in the democratic republic of congo formerly zaire in a village near the ebola river, which gave the virus its name. It was associated with the 20142016 outbreak in west africa, the largest ebola outbreak to date with more than 28,600 cases, as well as the current ongoing. Rapid risk assessment outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, seventh update, 17 oct 2014 2 the options for risk reduction are. 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.
E1e8 june 2012 with 366 reads how we measure reads. The low reported cfr values were generated from a so. To reduce the risk of infecti on in west africa the following options are available. 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. Early detection, rapid patient isolation, contact tracing, and the ongoing vaccination programme should sufficiently control the outbreak. Democratic republic of congo in 1976 1 us center for disease control and prevention, outbreaks chronology. Ebola virus disease evd, one of the deadliest viral diseases, was discovered in 1976 when two consecutive outbreaks of fatal hemorrhagic fever occurred in different parts of central africa. This list of ebola outbreaks records the known occurrences of ebola virus disease, a highly infectious and acutely lethal viral disease that has afflicted humans and animals primarily in equatorial africa. It is therefore critical that responders heed lessons that are emerging from past and present practice, in order. Ebola was the hurricane katrina for the world health organizationits moment of failure.
Years of ebola virus disease outbreaks error processing. Occupational safety and health protections against ebola. Since then, the virus has emerged periodically and infected people in several african countries. The association of evd outbreaks with forest clearance has been suggested previously but. Some readers requested additional information about the number of outbreaks of evd in history and affected countries, so i decided to visualized the chronology of ebola. This database collates our existing knowledge of all known human outbreaks of. A year after the deadliest ebola outbreak ever in africa, the virus has returned. Ebola virus disease outbreak west africa, september 2014. Stopping the virus in west africa is an investment in keeping it from u. This is the first documented ebolavirus outbreak in west africa. For over 40 years, ebola was treated as an african disease, called a fever and known by other names where occurrences have been frequent. In 2014, the deadly and contagious ebola virus blazed a trail through west africa. This type of work is necessary for the development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs for ebola.
In addition, viable ebola virus was detected in the aqueous humor of the eye of a survivor 14 weeks after the onset of evd and 9 weeks after the clearance of virus from the blood 17 varkey, j. The first cases were recorded in guinea in december 20. Ebola virus disease, which shows that the historical fatality of the zaire. Ebola has been a constant threat in the region as wellsince 1976 there have been eight outbreaks in the congo.
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. Designing and delivering an effective response to ebola is of paramount importance in a country where the disease is endemic. Who, december 2014 evd outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in central and west africa, near tropical rain forests. The drc has already experienced ten outbreaks it will almost certainly happen again. The outbreak started in guinea and rapidly spread to liberia and sierra leone, claiming thousands of lives. The ebola virus can cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever ebola hf outbreaks in. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa, fourth update, 3 sep 2014. Since our last situation report on 28 august 2018 external situation report 4, an additional 11 new evd cases. Department statistics, karnatak university, dharwad, india abstract. Past and present article pdf available in the onderstepoort journal of veterinary research 792. Recent loss of closed forests is associated with ebola.
Situation reports received from the ministries of health of guinea, liberia, nigeria, senegal, and sierra leone, and the world health organization. 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. Rather, it is likely to be the result of a failure to account for delays between disease onset and final outcome. Both patients have been released from the hospital after testing confirmed that they no longer have ebola virus in their blood. The 20142016 ebola outbreak in west africa has ended. The last outbreak in the occurred in 2014, infecting 66 people and killing 49. The ebola virus can cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever ebola hf outbreaks in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. In the past, people living in these rural areas have probably come into contact with the animal. Communities are in denial that this virus can kill people, jeanpierre taschereau, a canadian leading the red cross response to the west africa ebola outbreak, told cbc radios the current.
Cumulative number of ebola virus disease cases reported five countries, west africa, march 29september 20, 2014. Case fatality rate for ebola virus disease in west africa. Case fatality have varied from 25 to 90% in past outbreaks. Evd was first identified in africa in 1976 2 and since then is estimated to have killed. Zaire ebolavirus is the deadliest strain with sudan second, and also the one that is causing the current outbreak. The most important tools in fighting ebola were simple public health interventions that have stopped all ebola outbreaks in the past, said amesh adalja, a senior associate at the center for. Over the past 40 years, sporadic ebola virus disease evd outbreaks have occurred mostly in the central african region. The figure above is a bar chart showing the cumulative number of ebola virus disease cases.
The ebola outbreak in west africa demonstrated once more the ability of a weak public health system in one country to threaten global health security for all. Operational perspective of lessons learned from the ebola. Since the first documented evd outbreak in zaire now. Ebola haemorrhagic fever ehf is a zoonosis affecting both human and non human primates nhp. Therefore, the patent was for the invention of a diagnosticmethod for detecting the bundibugyo strain of the ebola virus. Number of new cases of ebola virus disease reported west africa, september 28october 18. There have been about 30 separate evd outbreaks in africa over the past 40 years, with thousands of cases. The figure above is a map of west africa showing ebola cumulative incidence as of october 18, 2014. 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. Despite recent signs of slowing down, the deadly ebola virus disease evd has spread rapidly across west africa including the three mostaffected countriesguinea, liberia, and. Recent loss of closed forests is associated with ebola virus.
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