Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever: Re-Emerging Infectious Disease

Abstract

Ebola can cause disease in humans and non-human primates like chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys). The spring of 2014 has brought a new calamity, the exotic infectious disease: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, which is caused by the highly contagious and pathogenic virus, transmitted directly by interpersonal contact or indirectly by common usage of the objects. The epidemic which occurred in Guinea tended to expand to neighboring countries; 83 deaths have been reported on April 1 st 2014. Genetic analysis have revealed that the virus that causes this epidemic is similar in a proportion of 98% to Ebolavirus Zaire (EBOV) species that were responsible for the epidemic in Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2008. The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family and genus Ebolavirus. Each species of the genus Ebola virus has one member virus, and four of these cause Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans, a type of hemorrhagic fever having a very high case fatality rate up to 90% in humans. There are five identified Ebola virus species Bundibugyo Ebolavirus (BDBV), Ebolavirus Zaire (EBOV), Reston Ebolavirus (RESTV), Sudan Ebolavirus (SUDV), and Tai Forest Ebolavirus (TAFV). Ebola viruses are present in numerous African countries. The four of the five virus strains occur in an animal host native to Africa. Key-wordsEbola Virus (EBOV), Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs), Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) INTRODUCTION Ebola, previously known as ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus species. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). Outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa could be described as most severe public health emergency in modern times. Before the current situation, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. EVD (Ebola hemorrhagic fever) first appeared in 1976 with two concurrent outbreaks of acute viral hemorrhagic fever involving 284 cases (151 deaths [53%]) centered in Nzara, Sudan [1] , and 318 cases (280 deaths [88%]) in Yambuku (near the Ebola River), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [2] . Since these original cases, there have been approximately 20 other outbreaks occurring through to 2013, involving nearly 2500 cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo [3] . Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: