Ebola virus outbreak and its management: An overview: Ebola virus outbreak and its management

Shatavisa Mukherjee; Sukanta Sen

Authors

Shatavisa Mukherjee Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Sukanta Sen Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Keywords:

Ebola virus disease, management, outbreak, West Africa, World Health Organization

Abstract

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). The current outbreak is in West Africa involving countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria (as on August 6, 2014). The infection is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected nonhuman primates. Clinically, patient should be diagnosed based on signs and symptoms with history of travel from Ebola affected areas or exposure to EVD patients. All suspected patient should be investigated for IgM (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), antigen detection, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to confirm. Currently, no specific therapy is available that has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of EVD. In the absence of specific therapy, a number of modalities have been tried. General medical support is critical. Steriod therapy has no role. There is no role for antibiotics unless there is evidence of secondary bacterial infection. Nutrition is complicated by the patient’s nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Good hydration is to be ensured with good amount of protein supplement. Experimental vaccines are under trial.

References

Information on outbreaks chronology: Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 10].

Roy-Macaulay, Clarence. "Ebola Crisis Triggers Health Emergency". Drug Discov. Dev. Associated Press. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 10].

Suspected case deaths as reported by the CDC. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 11].

Information on WHO Statement on the Meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee Regarding the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 12].

Information on Ebola virus disease. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 10].

"Fruit bats may carry Ebola virus". Available from: News; 2005-12-11. [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 18].

Johnson E, Jaax N, White J, Jahrling P. Lethal experimental infections of rhesus monkeys by aerosolized Ebola virus. Int J Exp Pathol 1995;76:227-36.

Sullivan N, Yang ZY, Nabel GJ. Ebola virus pathogenesis: Implications for vaccines and therapies. J Virol 2003;77:9733-7.

Information on ebola hemorrhagic fever signs and symptoms. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 15].

Fisher-Hoch SP, Platt GS, Neild GH, Southee T, Baskerville A, Raymond RT, et al. Pathophysiology of shock and hemorrhage in a fulminating viral infection (Ebola). J Infect Dis 1985;152:887-94.

Grolla A, Lucht A, Dick D, Strong JE, Feldmann H. Laboratory diagnosis of Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever. Bull Soc Pathol Exot 2005;98:205-9.

Information on Ebola hemorrhagic fever prevention. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 19].

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization (1998). Infection control for viral haemorrhagic fevers in the African health care setting (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia, US: Centers for disease control and prevention. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/abroad/pdf/african-healthcare-setting-vhf.pdf. [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 23].

Alazard-Dany N, Ottmann Terrangle M, Volchkov V. Ebola and Marburg viruses: The humans strike back. Med Sci (Paris) 2006;22:405-10.

Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, Department of Health (UK). Management of Hazard Group 4 viral haemorrhagic fevers and similar human infectious diseases of high consequence - Appendix 8 August 2014. Available from: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947382005. [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 17].

World Health Organization. Standard precautions in health care, Aide-Memoire. Oct 2007. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 19].

Centers for disease control and prevention. Infection prevention and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with known or suspected ebola hemorrhagic fever in U.S. Hospitals; 5 August, 2014. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 15].

Xu L, Sanchez A, Yang Z, Zaki SR, Nabel EG, Nichol ST, et al. Immunization for Ebola virus infection. Nat Med 1998;4:37-42.

"ZMapp Information Sheet". Mapp biopharmaceutical. Available from: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. accessed on 2014 Aug 15].

Fran Daniel for the Winston-Salem Journal. Ebola drug provided for two Americans by Reynolds American subsidiary; 5 August 2014. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 22].

Pollack A. Second drug is allowed for treatment of ebola the New York Times; 7 August 2014. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2014 Aug 22].

Ebola virus outbreak and its management: An overview