Given current events, I find it appropriate
to take a small tangent away from the usual vaccine topic to research a very
serious public health threat: Ebola.
After initial infection, Ebola can
take up to 21 days to show any symptoms. Anyone in close contact with an
infected person is at risk. When they begin, Ebola symptoms start out much like
any other disease symptoms: sore throat, head ache, lack of appetite, slightly
feverish (Derek Gatherer). These symptoms occur because the Ebola virus has
started to attack your immune system by killing T-lymphocyte cells, much like
HIV does.
Within the next few days, the
symptoms worsen. The victim’s body will ache all over. They will experience
chronic abdominal pain. The fever will
intensify. The victim will experience vomiting and diarrhea. The next week is
literally the decision between life and death. The victim could get better. The
symptoms could reduce. It’s when the symptoms don’t resolve that the virus gets
truly terrifying.
“After anything between a couple of days and a
week of misery, you will have reached the crisis point – now the symptoms will
either gradually recede or you will progress to the horrors of ‘cytokine storm’,
a convulsion of your ravaged immune system that will plunge you into the
terminal phase of Ebola virus disease known as haemorrhagic fever.
Cytokine storm releases a torrent
of inflammatory molecules into your circulatory system. Your own immune system,
now completely out of control, attacks every organ in your body. Tiny blood
vessels burst everywhere and you begin slowly to bleed to death. The whites of
your eyes turn red, your vomit and diarrhea are now charged with blood and
large blood blisters develop under your skin. You are now at the peak of
infectiousness as Ebola virus particles, ready to find their next victim, pour
out of your body along with your blood.” (Lancaster University’s The
Conversation).
Determining which patients will
enter hemorrhagic fevers is currently being studied. If there is a less
virulent strain that promotes immunity to that keep certain patients from
entering cytokine storm, maybe it could be used to produce a vaccine to help
safeguard those at high risk. At this point however, there are only
experimental vaccines and treatments.
With all that in mind, I would like
to ask you to donate to UNICEF. UNICEF has workers throughout West Africa trying
to prevent the virus from spreading by distributing hygiene supplies and
instructing families on how they can protect themselves. Please help contain
the spread of disease by donating at the link listed below.
Sources for this Article:http://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-get-ebola-28116
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