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Ebola, Signs, and Treatment
Ebola relates to a ribonucleic acid virus, which tends to multiply rapidly in its host as an aspect that may often lead to high pathogen dosage. The Ebola epidemic was a result of the introduction of the virus to a single infected person, but the spread has been on the rise especially in the African countries with fatal implications (Qureshi 160). The objective of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the clinical signs, symptoms, and treatment of the Ebola virus in human beings.
Literature Review
Clinical Signs
The study by, notes that in most of the cases, the Ebola virus starts to show visible signs in a host almost 21 days post exposure. The 21 day period therefore serves to the space of time which elapses between the exposure to the virus and the multiplication of the virus in the host’s body.
The study by, reveals that the most common initial signs include fever, which may reach as high as 104 F, which may be a common reason for hyperpyrexia among patients with the Ebola virus (McCarthy 5488). The research argues that in such cases of extreme fever, the patient may be unable to reverse the extents to which the Ebola virus multiplies, and therefore the hypothalamus continuously adjusts the body towards achieving this anticipated control of the temperature (Bray 230).
The other notable clinical sign of the Ebola may involve the eventual profound weaknesses in the body. The study by, confirms that the patient in this context will tend to lose strength as the muscles in the respective body begin to undergo a process of weaknesses and muscle function (Bray and Georgina 70). The muscle functions, in this case, maybe lost gradually as the individual struggles with an apparent loss of the exclusive ability to manage the various other critical bodily functions within the body. The Ebola virus is therefore often associated with different body related ailments such as thyroid diseases.
Another study on the clinical signs of the Ebola virus reveals that the patients who have had more than 21 days of exposure also often show notably high levels of diarrhea. The patients in this case excessively high levels of bowel movements on a liquid form, an aspect that also exposes them to high levels of dehydration (Chertow et al., 1040). The loose motions within the bowels may often be a result of the increase in the secretion within the intestines, while there are considerably lower levels of absorption of fluid in the body. In reality, this could be one of the leading causes of dehydration in cases of Ebola in most of the patients (Okware N.p). Diarrhea may lead to fatalities in cases where the patient loses excess liquid rapidly.
The study by, also affirms that in other cases, the patients with Ebola may also have indicative signs of abdominal pains, which in some instances may be extreme. In most cases, the patient experiencing loose stool may have observable patterns of abdominal pain, which in other cases may refer to gastroenteritis (Ekat 172). The pain then leads to instances of discomfort and irregularities within the lower abdomen an aspect, which may lead to obvious pain on the side of the patient. The abdominal pain in this context may also have significant implications for the individual’s ability to move around, and this may lead to instances of being bedridden. A different study also notes that one of the other common signs of Ebola is the sudden instances of fatigue.
The fatigue, in this case, is often a subjective and often frustrating feeling of being tired, which tends to grow through an onset, and gradual process as the virus gradually advances in the body. The reality of the fatigue, in this case, is that unlike in the case of normal fatigue where different forms alleviation may assist in dealing with the fatigue, the occurrence in the case of Ebola does not tend to stop and this affects the individual’s ability to conduct any physical movements (Koenig 58). The fatigue may also lead to chronic tiredness and a notable change in the need to rest. The patients suffering from Ebola may also have notable instances of headaches and dizziness, which result in the aspect of fatigue. The Ebola virus may also have indicative signs of general malaise, which may lead to the extents of the feeling of mental uneasiness.
The aspect of fatigue also involves important elements of lethargy in the patient, which also means that there is a noteworthy level of discomfort. The consequences of this fatigue may be the reason most of the patients suffering from Ebola end up being bedridden. Fatigue may often be at the initial stages of the spread of the virus and may often seem to be an on and off aspect a pattern that tends to have significant implications on the ability to undertake immediate diagnosis.
In most of the cases, Ebola patients often also suffer instances of vomiting. The problem with these levels of vomiting is that it tends to affect the individual’s retention of fluids, which may end up leading to instances of dehydration and possible loss of weight due to the loss of appetite and the failure to consume as many liquids as the body would require. The patients, who suffer from instances of Ebola, may have observable extents of vomiting, which may increase as the rates of the virus multiply in the body. The vomiting may reach extreme levels if the patient does not receive immediate care.
Unexplained hemorrhage is the other universal sign that indicates the possible instances of Ebola.
In essence, the injury is the most common reasons for the emergence of instances of bleeding in the brain. However, in the case of Ebola, the cases of hemorrhage lack a possible explanation and are therefore unexplained. The Ebola virus may lead to examples of the chronic conditions, which affect the blood vessels and thus lead to patterns of bleeding in the brain. In the end, if the person ends up losing that much blood, the result may be dead, and this is the most common reason for the fatalities that occur in the case of Ebola patients. The possible cases of exsanguinations, in this case, tend to happen because of the reality that there is a great extent of blood loss (Koenig 58). The areas of blood loss, in this case, may lead to circumstances of death or in certain other conditions, mental incapacitation. The instances may lead to the compression of organs, and this causes the total dysfunction of the body. The hemorrhagic shock, in this case, may lead to cases of brain damage, which is an extreme occurrence.
Treatment of Ebola
The process of recovery from the Ebola Virus often depends on the speed with which first responding to the emergency occurs. For instance, the study by, notes that patients who show early cases of the virus may stand a greater chance of recovery in cases where there are early diagnosis and care. The failure to conduct such initial care may lead to notable instances of fatalities especially due to the possibility of losing blood such as in the case of hemorrhage (Nguyen and Esteban 52). The treatment of the Ebola virus may, however, require an initial attempt to improve the extent to which the patient survives.
For instance, there is a need to provide direct fluids and electrolytes, which must include infusion of the electrolytes into the vein. The situation, in this case, may require an extent of intravenously, which is critical in the course of ensuring that the patient receives the much-needed hydration. Dehydration in the case of Ebola may have observably extreme implications, which may include death. The need to provide body salts through intravenously is, therefore, an essential part of the treatment procedure.
The other treatment process may include the need to offer oxygen therapy. The study by, notes that the need to provide the oxygen therapy is critical because it ensures that the patients maintain a level of oxygen status, which is crucial towards ensuring that the brain does not suffer the consequences of the blood loss. The oxygen therapy, in this case, is a fundamental aspect that allows the brain to function in a reasonable way despite the extents of damage to the brain.
According to the study by, there is also a need to deal with the dynamics of medications, which is an important aspect. The medicine, in this case, involves, the need to look for drugs to support blood pressure, which is critical in the course of reducing diarrhea or to manage the extents of vomiting that the patient experiences (Letterman N.p). The process of treatment may also require the need to treat the various infections with the right and immediate medical care. The use of antiviral drugs, in this case, is the most effective long-term treatment patterns.
Conclusion
The research by the various scholars reveals that the Ebola virus has essential signs that include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, muscle pain, severe headache and cases of weaknesses in the body. On the same note, the clinical symptoms may include aspects such as abdominal pain and evidence of extreme hemorrhage. The use of antiviral therapy in this case and oxygen therapy serve as the most immediate and sustainable approaches to dealing with the virus.
Works Cited
Babalola, Michael O., and Georgina N. Odaibo. “The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, And Threats (Swots) Analyses Of The Ebola Virus.” African Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 10, no. 2, 2016, pp. 69-88.
Bray, Mike. “Comparative Pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever.” Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, 2007, pp. 221-231.
Chertow, Daniel S., et al. “Loperamide Therapy for Voluminous Diarrhea in Ebola Virus Disease.” Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 211, no. 7, 2015, pp. 1036-1037.
Ekat, M.H. “Ebola virus diseases signs, symptom and predicting death: A literature review.” International Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 45, 2016, p. 172.
Koenig, Kristi L. “Ebola Triage Screening, and Public Health: The New “Vital Sign Zero.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, vol. 9, no. 01, 2014, pp. 57-58.
Letterman, Nadia, et al. “Small molecules with antiviral activity against the Ebola virus.” F1000Research, 2015.
McCarthy, M. “US signs contract with ZMapp maker to accelerate development of the Ebola drug.” BMJ, vol. 349, no. sep04 10, 2014, pp. g5488-g5488.
Nguyen, Van K., and Esteban A. Hernandez Vargas. “Windows of opportunity for Ebola virus infection treatment and vaccination.” 2017.
Okware, Samuel. “Managing Ebola in Low-resource Settings: Experiences from Uganda.” Ebola, 2016.
Qureshi, Adnan I. “Treatment of Ebola Virus Disease.” Ebola Virus Disease, 2016, pp. 159-166.