In 1976, a virtually unheard of virus called Ebola infected 318 people in the country of Zaire and out of those 318 people 280 of them died which is an 88% fatality rate (Oldstone 130). For its first outbreak, the Ebola virus caused a lot of mayhem in the country of Zaire. Not knowing where or how this horrific virus surfaced, the terrified people of Zaire waited outside their homes, churches and clinics hoping for a possible diagnosis by doctors to bring this epidemic to an end. The Ebola virus is scientifically classified as a filovirus, which is Latin for "worm"(Oldstone 133), because when it is viewed under an electron microscope it resembles that of a worm. Ebola is a serious virus on the rise and can cause an outbreak within 24 hours if not contained immediately, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The Ebola virus is the worlds third deadliest infectious disease next to HIV, and rabies, which already has a vaccine, and causes death in 50-90% of all clinically ill cases, according to the World Health Organization (fact sheet pg. 1). To fully understand Ebola one must consider its history, causes, symptoms and possible treatments.
The first occurrence of the Ebola virus was discovered in July of 1976.
near the Ebola River in Northern Zaire after a worker in a cotton factory in.
Nzara, Sudan became very ill. Later that year a similar virus spread through.
more than 50 villages along the river in Zaire. This outbreak caused about 500.
deaths. Scientists from the CDC in Atlanta named the new virus Ebola, subtype.
Zaire. The virus that caused the outbreak in Sudan was later called Ebola Sudan.
In 1977 a child in Tandala, Zaire died of a hemorrhagic fever. In 1977, .
another outbreak occurred in Sudan and the first case was pinpointed to the same.
room in the cotton factory that the victim in 1976 had worked in (World Health Organization).
In 1989, another strain of Ebola was found in Reston, Virginia.