Ebola

            The Ebola Hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease first identified in 1976 in what was formerly Zaire, near the Ebola River for which it is named. It is often deadly with a fatality rate of about 90% in the most common strain, Ebola-Zaire. Three of the four strains of this virus affect humans: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Ebola Cate d'Ivoire. The fourth strain, Ebola-Reston infects humans but does not cause disease. Ebola is spread from an infected animal to an index case human and then spread within the human population. .
             Infection between humans is caused by direct contact with infected semen, blood or organs. As a result, healthcare workers are at particularly high risk for the disease during an outbreak. The spread of the disease is aided by unsanitary hospital conditions prevalent in underdeveloped countries. Another means of infection is through the handling of ill or dead chimpanzees that were infected with the virus.
             The incubation period for this disease is approximately a week after which the infected person suffers from flu like symptoms: Severe headache, sore throat, muscle aches and weakness. Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, inflammation of the throat and conjunctivitis follow these symptoms. Later the victim suffers from destruction of internal tissue and bleeding from bodily openings. This is followed by death in many cases. The disease has been assigned a bio-safety level of 4 thus requiring the greatest safety precautions. .
             Outbreaks of the disease are usually sporadic and are often located in remote areas of the Sub-Saharan Region of Africa. The Republic of Congo is currently battling an outbreak of the disease. The outbreak began in October. This is the second outbreak of the disease this year as there were 128 reported deaths of the disease earlier in the year. The disease not only has effects on the human population of The Republic of Congo but as it originates in the animal population, the primate population is affected the most.