why is ebola so deadly

These are external links and will open in a new window SBS News explains what makes the Ebola virus so deadly.Fever, vomiting and severe diarrhoea are among the symptoms of the highly infectious and extremely lethal Ebola virus, which has claimed thousands of lives in a series of outbreaks in Africa since 1976.With the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) latest outbreak spreading to Uganda for the first time, here are some facts about the virus.The average fatality rate from Ebola is around 50 percent, varying from 25 to 90 percent, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.The virus is highly contagious, making it difficult to contain especially in urban environments.It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among humans though close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.Ebola is believe to reside in bats, which do not themselves fall ill but can pass it on.Chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines can also become infected, and humans who kill and eat these animals can catch the virus through them.People who are infected do not become contagious until symptoms appear, which is after an incubation period of between two and 21 days.High fever, weakness, intense muscle and joint pain, headaches and a sore throat are often followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, skin eruptions, kidney and liver failure, internal and external bleeding.After-effects have often been observed in survivors, including arthritis, problems with vision, eye inflammation and hearing difficulties.At present there is no licenced drug to prevent or treat Ebola although a range of experimental drugs are in development.After the DRC's 10th outbreak started in August, health authorities there began issuing the rVSV-Zebov vaccine on a large scale for the first time.Developed by Merck laboratories, the vaccine is unlicensed but has been widely shown to be safe and effective, and the WHO has called for its deployment to be expanded.WHO experts have also recommended introducing another experimental vaccine, the MVA-BN developed by Johnson & Johnson.To contain the spread of the virus, patients and people who have been in contact with them are routinely isolated.Medical personnel are meticulously protected with disposable full-body plastic suits, masks, goggles, gloves and disinfecting sprays.The virus was first identified in 1976 by a team that included a young Belgian microbiologist, Peter Piot, who later founded UNAIDS, the United Nations' agency against HIV/AIDS.They named the virus after a river in the DRC -- then known as Zaire -- that was close to the location of the first known outbreak.Four of the virus species are known to cause disease in humans -- Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Tai Forest.Immense appreciation to the selfless health workers that have dedicated their efforts and skills to work together and fight the The world's worst Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in southern Guinea and spread to neighbouring West African countries Liberia and Sierra Leone.It claimed the lives of more than 11,300 people from the nearly 29,000 registered cases, according to WHO estimates.The real figure may have been significantly higher.More than 99 percent of victims were in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, although cases appeared all over the world, sparking panic.The WHO declared the epidemic over in January 2016, although it was followed by flare-ups in all three countries.The current outbreak in the DRC is the worst since then.

*In all cases but two, first in Madrid and later in Dallas, the patient was infected with Ebola while in West Africa.The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sitesThe California senator is the first black woman to be chosen as a vice-presidential candidate.

Some patients die due to dehydration while others due to overall shock.The body desperately strives to remain alive while the virus spreads across the body and attacks different tissues, organs, and systems. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date. The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult.

That seems unlikely. When wearing a respirator, the medical worker must tear this outer mask to allow the respirator through.A respirator is worn to protect the wearer from a patient's coughs. Upon direct contact with a body fluid from an infected person, the virus enters the human body via the eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin and attacks the internal organs and bodily systems, including the immune system. The Ebola strain in the current outbreak is the most lethal of the five known strains of the virus. Bats’ immune defenses may be why their viruses can be so deadly to people ... Ebola, Nipah, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and others. Quora Contributor. The problem actually starts with the virus impairing the immune response.Ebola virus attacks and replicates in different immune cells, including dendritic cells, which act as messengers between the Infected dendritic cells also cause T cells to kill themselves prematurely by sending signal proteins to initiate programmed cell death.

Ebola virus attacks and replicates in different immune cells, including dendritic cells, which act as messengers between innate and adaptive immune responses. Essentially, an attack on the dendritic cells would leave the immune system unable to function properly due to lack of communication.Remember that the Ebola virus also attacks other immune cells. The current Ebola outbreak is the biggest yet seen McElroy, A. Even so, if casting the international spotlight onto Ebola helps to bring our notions of risk perception into sharper focus then that can't be a bad thing - not just in terms of boosting immunisation rates at home.

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For a woman this can include braiding the hair, and for a man shaving the head. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.In March, Liberia's health minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss.

This is for two important reasons: first our disease surveillance is more stringent, and second Ebola kills or immobilises its host before they have much of a chance to spread it.