Ebola virus rages in Uganda

Fourteen people in Uganda died of Ebola fever

07/29/2012

In Uganda, several people have contracted Ebola, 14 people in the Ugandan district of Kibaale died as a result of the infection. The Ebola virus causes so-called haemorrhagic fever (fever with bleeding) in humans, which results in 50 to 90 percent of cases, an agonizing death of patients.

The infectious disease known as Ebola fever, is still not treatable. Also vaccinations against Ebola do not exist so far. Although outbreaks are relatively rare compared to other viral infectious diseases, due to the high risk of infection and the often fatal consequences, Ebola is particularly feared. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the current developments in Uganda with extreme concern and has dispatched experts to contain the infections in the affected region. So far, at least 20 people in the wake of the current outbreak of the dangerous pathogens affected, nearly 75 percent of the infected have died.

WHO sends experts to fight against Ebola in Uganda
In eastern Uganda, outbreaks of Ebola fever have raged on several occasions in the past, with more than 200 deaths following the hitherto worst wave of infection. The WHO is therefore alarmed by the current infections in the Kibaale district, about 200 kilometers west of the Ugandan capital Kampala, and has sent its own experts to prevent further spread to the region. They are supported by experts from the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the United States Department of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the district near the border of the Congo, a quarantine station will be set up as soon as possible to accommodate the patients.

Path of infection so far unclear
The way in which the people in Uganda have been infected with the pathogen, the WHO was so far not clearly determine, but were apparently 18 of the 20 patients diseased in the same family. As with all previous Ebola outbreaks, however, the question remains in which natural reservoir host the pathogens thrived before they jumped over to humans. Recently, bats were suspected to serve as reservoirs for other dangerous viruses. Once the first person has become infected, the further spread is often rapid, because the pathogens are transmitted to the other people with the excreted bodily fluids and the blood (contact infection or smear infection). If there is a lack of hygiene in dealing with the patients, it is highly likely that they will become infected with Ebola.

Deadly consequences of Ebola infection
An Ebola infection usually manifests itself after an average incubation period of ten days (maximum of three weeks). It begins with more nonspecific, flu-like symptoms, such as weakness, headache, muscle and limb pain. Subsequently, the so-called hemorrhagic fever sets in. This is followed by dysfunction of the liver and kidneys, internal bleeding, tissue bleeding and diarrhea with bloody bowel movements. Also, the urine often contains larger amounts of blood. Finally, the skin and mucous membranes begin to bleed, the blood vessels are increasingly destroyed and shock and circulatory collapse ensues. The disease is accompanied by paralysis and convulsions, as well as persistent nausea and vomiting. Patients usually die as a result of internal bleeding and massive fluid loss. Successful treatment is not possible until today. The physicians can only try to compensate for the loss of fluid and to prevent further spread of the infections.

Outbreaks of Ebola in African States
The deadly effect of Ebola virus on humans makes Ebola one of the most dangerous diseases in the world, but it also means that the infection has not spread over long distances. Because infected people usually simply do not survive long enough. However, some sub-Saharan African countries have repeatedly suffered Ebola outbreaks in recent decades. Here are, for example, Gabon or the Republic of Congo to call. In Uganda, the most severe outbreak to date occurred in 2000 with 425 infections and 224 deaths. In 2007, Uganda also had an outbreak of 121 infections and 35 deaths.

Ebola curable in the future?
In August of last year, two independent research teams reported in the journal for the first time „Nature“, that Ebola is curable in the future. In a recent study, researchers led by James Cunningham of Harvard Medical School, Boston, explained that elimination of a specific protein (NPC1) can help protect against Ebola. The scientists blocked the protein with the help of a newly developed drug, whereupon the cells were reliably protected from infection with the Ebola virus. In a recent in the journals „Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences“ (PNAS), US scientists also showed that rhesus monkeys, who were injected with Ebola antibodies shortly after ebolavirus exposure, did not develop Ebola at all or only very slightly. All previous treatment approaches are currently still in the research phase and have to prove their worth. (Fp)

Picture credits: Sigrid Rossmann