The first two recorded outbreaks of Ebola happened in Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo) and what is now South Sudan. At first, scientists thought these outbreaks were merely a single event linked to one infected person. They later learned that the Ebola virus was responsible for the clusters of illnesses. The virus would cause many more epidemics in the future. Experts are still researching what exactly causes an outbreak of Ebola. They believe many factors, including population growth, expansion into forested areas, and direct contact with wildlife, may all spark the spread of Ebola. (1) Dr. Piot’s lab was contacted by a Belgian doctor living in what was then Zaire. The doctor was treating a nun who was sick with a mysterious illness. When Piot was able to examine the nun’s blood under an electron microscope, he saw a very large, wormlike structure that was unlike any other virus he had ever seen. The only similar known virus was the Marburg virus, which can also cause hemorrhagic fever. German researchers identified Marburg in 1967. Within weeks of seeing the Ebola virus for the first time, Piot traveled to Zaire, where hundreds more people were sick. His team identified how the virus was being spread and put procedures in place to halt the epidemic. They named the virus after the Ebola River, a tributary of the Congo River in central Africa. (2) An outbreak can last a few days or several years and can describe just one case or many cases, depending on the situation. (3) Between 1979 and 1994, almost no cases of Ebola were detected. But since then, outbreaks have increased in frequency. (4) From 1976 to 2014, Ebola outbreaks primarily happened in remote villages near tropical rain forests in Central and West Africa. (4) To date, the largest outbreak occurred in West Africa between March 2014 and June 2016, affecting people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. (4) You can view an up-to-date list of all the Ebola outbreaks that have occurred around the world by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website. The outbreak ended with more than 28,600 people infected and 11,325 deaths. (5) Overall, 11 people were treated for Ebola in the United States during this time. (5) Several factors played into the epidemic becoming as large as it was, including:
The infection was slow to be recognized because Ebola had not been seen before in humans in that region. Implementation of measures to stop the outbreak was similarly delayed.Some of the countries involved were emerging from civil wars, their healthcare systems were in disarray, and they had very few doctors to treat any disease, including Ebola.Many local healthcare professionals died in the 2014 epidemic, leaving hospitals even more shorthanded.Compared with earlier outbreaks, which often occurred in small, remote villages, the 2014 outbreak quickly moved to densely populated areas, where people tend to be very mobile (making it harder to track down their contacts) and in which there is greater potential for person-to-person transmission.The cultural tradition in the area is to bury the dead in their hometown. As people in West Africa started dying of Ebola, highly infective corpses were being transported from one place to another, spreading the virus along the way. (6)
As of December 19, 2018, the Ministry of Health has reported 542 total new Ebola cases (494 of which have been confirmed) and 319 deaths (271 confirmed). (8) Experts say this outbreak is the second-deadliest ever, behind only the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic. (8) An experimental vaccine developed by Merck is being used to vaccinate the public. Since late August 2018, more than 48,000 people have been vaccinated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (9) But according to WHO, efforts to contain and slow the outbreak have been thwarted because of “nonengagement” in local communities and armed conflict in the region. (8) But observing disease epidemics in animals may offer clues. The CDC says that outbreaks in nonhuman primates and antelope often precede or happen simultaneously as human outbreaks occur in nearby areas. Detecting an outbreak early on could be an effective way to minimize its impact. (10) The first step is to identify and diagnose infected individuals. Then these patients must be isolated and monitored for 21 days after exposure. Next, public health officials should locate people that the infected patient had contact with and test them for the virus. If they have it, they too should be isolated. Healthcare workers should wear proper gear and follow protocols to prevent the infection from spreading. Every effort to control Ebola is helpful. Sparing just one person from contracting the disease could save a life. (11)
