Ebola virus: Nine things to know about the killer disease - Summary_Natalia Camargos

Summary:

The article "Ebola virus: Nine things to know about the killerdisease" written by Susannah Cullinane and Madison Park, in the web site CNN, provides important information about Ebola. According to the article Ebola is considered “one of the world’s most deadly diseases” because causes the death of up to 90% of people who catch the Ebola virus. Another factor that gets people so worried about it, it’s that there is no vaccination against the virus yet. As explained in the article, the main consequence of the Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever. The name “Ebola” was given because Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the place where the first outbreak occurred in 1976. The first Ebola’s symptoms are fever, weakness, muscle pain, headaches and sore throat. In some cases, patients can have a rash, red eyes, hiccups, chest pains and difficulty breathing and swallowing. The first symptoms can progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function and sometimes internal and external bleeding. Culliane and Park say that there is no particular treatment for Ebola yet. However, some drugs have been used and vaccines have been produced and tested. The authors mention that Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says that the Ebola virus can survive some days in liquid outside and infected organism; however chlorine disinfection, heat, direct sunlight, soaps and detergents can kill it. The article warns that the virus transmission occurs with the directly contact with body flood or blood. In the end of the article, the author provides some estimation about the spread of the disease: There have been more than 3000 cases of Ebola and more than 2000 deaths since 1976.

Comments:

The Ebola disease kills up to 90% people who contract the virus. This fact has caused such a frightening feeling in people around the world. As previously stated, nearly 2000 people dead because of the virus. Therefore, it’s very important that people be aware about the symptoms, ways to catch the virus and how to protect. However, there is no specific treatment, drugs have been tested and a vaccine has been developed.