Abstract This paper studies the Ebola virus, its history, symptoms and treatment. The author explains that the virus is only thirty years old and no one is able to determine its origins. Since there is no vaccine, the paper concentrates on treatment research and efforts to contain the virus.
From the Paper "Throughout history, the cause of most deaths among humankind has been infectious viruses. There is no more horrific and lethal infectious virus than Ebola. The Ebola virus has an extremely high lethality rate, killing approximately ninety percent of those people that become infected. To make matters worse, there is no treatment or vaccine to counter the effects of the virus. This research paper will explore the Ebola virus in three segments: history of the Ebola virus, symptoms of the Ebola virus and the treatment/containment of the Ebola virus."
Abstract This paper introduces and analyzes the book, "The Hot Zone," written by Richard Preston. Specifically, it discusses the realities of an Ebola virus outbreak in the United States. It looks at the history of the Ebola virus and how it could be contained if there were an outbreak. The paper discusses the content of Preston's book and its realities.
From the Paper "It is quite clear that Ebola is a deadly virus that could wipe out entire populations if it came into the United States (or any other country). It cannot be prevented or anticipated, and it has no real effective treatment. The author maintains this is because viruses are reacting to the Earth's population and change. He writes, "In a sense, the earth is mounting an immune response against the human species. It is beginning to react to the human parasite, the flooding infection of people, the dead spots of concrete all over the planet, the cancerous rot -outs in Europe, Japan, and the United States [...]" (Preston 406). While the Ebola Reston outbreak did not kill any humans, it certainly could have, and if a strain like it returns to the United States, the results could be catastrophic. Clearly, more study must go into the Ebola virus, so that scientists and medical professionals can understand it, and somehow learn how to treat it."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of the Ebola Virus and its effects. The author examines its origins, symptoms, types and mode of transmission. The paper includes a study of the various researches done on the virus and current knowledge available.
From the Paper "Ebola is a highly lethal virus belonging to the filovirus genus and usually occurs in tropical climates of the world. The virus causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), which is a disease that can affect humans and primates (CDC 2001). With an incubation period of three to sixteen days, onset strikes fast. Symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever are: fever, headache, abdominal pain, sore throat, myalgia, nausea, bleeding, oral-throat lesions, vomiting, and cough. During outbreaks, spontaneous abortion occurs in approximately 80-90% of pregnant women infected with the virus.
Abstract This paper looks at the feared Ebola virus. It explains when it was first discovered and how it spread to other parts of the world. It examines scientists' studies and research on the virus for a cure or treatment. Symptoms are listed as well as precautionary measures which can be taken.
From the Paper "The Ebola virus is only one of the potential or real epidemics facing Africa today. AIDs may be the most devastating disease on the continent in terms of number affected, while Ebola is feared as much for the manner of death as for the numbers involved. The public has become aware of Ebola only recently, but the disease was first identified in 1976 when an outbreak in northern Zaire and neighboring Sudan killed more than 400 people. There was an eruption again in Sudan in 1979, and in 1995 an isolated case occurred in the Ivory Coast ("Africa's Deadly Visitor" 69). Africa faces the problem that a widespread outbreak of Ebola is possible and potentially could kill millions in a most horrible manner, with no way to cure the disease or alleviate the suffering to any great degree."
Tags: africa, outbreak, suffer, medicine, science, cure, research
Abstract This paper examines how the Ebola virus is quite possibly the most deadly virus known to man, how there is no known cure, and the origin has yet to be discovered. It provides information on what we do know about the killer out of Africa and what we can come to expect.
From the Paper "The nature of viruses is to replicate and, like any parasite, in order to replicate they require a host. Due to this requirement, the virus's goal is not to kill its host. Ebola is like any other virus in this respect; its ultimate goal is not annihilation but replication. Nonetheless, due to its volatile nature, Ebola ravages any body that it comes in contact with and has evolved to jump quickly in order to avoid its own destruction (Ebola can only survive independently without being frozen or crystallized for ten days). Its protein structure is unlike any other that scientists have ever encountered. Like all viruses, it is made up of RNA strands wrapped in proteins."
Abstract "The Hot Zone," by Richard Preston, outlines the history of the three filoviruses: Marburg, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Zaire. The account consists of scientific information about the viruses, portrayals of the earliest victims, and descriptions of the medical procedures used to counteract the viruses.
From the Paper " "The Hot Zone," by Richard Preston, outlines the history of the three filoviruses: Marburg, Ebola Sudan, and Ebola Zaire. The account consists of scientific information about the viruses, portrayals of the earliest victims, and descriptions of the medical procedures used to counteract the viruses. The bulk of the book deals with the outbreak of what appeared to be Ebola Zaire at a primate facility on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and the actions undertaken by the United States Army to contain the situation.
Early in 1980, a Frenchman living alone near Mount Elgon in western Kenya traveled to Kitum Cave; seven days later, he became extremely ill. By the time he arrived at Nairobi Hospital, his internal organs had become obstructed with blood clots, and his brain had begun to "liquefy," eradicating his personality (14)."
Abstract This essay reviews and critiques Dr. Leonard Horowitz's book, "Emerging Viruses AIDS & Ebola" for its hypothesis that AIDS and Ebola were man-made viruses deployed as biological weapons.
Abstract This paper explores the Ebola virus: its biology, the effects of the virus on the human bod, and its spread through human populations. Also discussed is the status of a possible vaccine for the Ebola virus.
Abstract This paper provides a study of this virus by examining its pathogenesis, symptomatology, diagnostics, and possible treatments and preventions.
From the Paper "Ebola hemorrhagic fever, or the Ebola virus, is a devastating illness that has the highest mortality and morbidity rates among all viruses (Mwanatambwe et al., 2001). This virus results in certain death for 50 to 90 percent of all clinical cases, and since the virus was first discovered, there has been approximately 1,500 documented cases with more than 1,000 deaths (World Health Organization, 2000). The form of the virus that is found in humans has been found mostly in central African areas that surround rainforests, such as Sudan, Gabon, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire). Within a timeframe of 19 years, two major outbreaks of the Ebola virus have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which both had devastating effects with several hundred people infected and killed by the virus. The virus gained its name through association to the Ebola river, which runs through Yambuku, a village in the northwestern part of Congo, where the first outbreak surfaced."
From the Paper "Scientists have commented recently on the development of new and more deadly diseases in different parts of the world and have puzzled over the origins of some of these killers. The so-called Ebola virus is one of the deadliest, and descriptions of what it does to its victims makes it one of the more horrific ways to die by disease. Epidemics have always been a part of human history (Dudley 12), and Ebola is an extremely deadly virus from the tropics, a disease known as a filovirus. Three subtypes have been identified, each labeled with the location of the initial recorded outbreak--Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola Reston, a trio of deadly viruses, whose origins remain unknown (Preston 295). These deadly flus threaten life and confound scientists, and much research will have to be conducted to determine the origin, etiology, and potential preventions or cures for this deadly set of diseases.
Ebola kills by clotting the blood of its victims and chewing through ..."
Abstract This paper examines how the emergence of the hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) in the modern medical community has created significant fear in respect to the unique properties of these diseases, as well as growing concern over their spread and the lack of effective treatment options for the most severe members of the HFV family. It looks at how the understanding of HFVs is increasing significantly, especially with the inclusion of genetic modifiers. It provides a brief overview of the properties of select HFV members and the advances in genetic medicine currently under investigation as treatment options.
Outline
Introduction
What Is Hemorrhagic Fever Disease?
The Role of Genetics as a Tool Against HFVs
From the Paper "The Ebola virus is spread through direct fluid contact, and there is no "carrier" state through which an individual who does not themselves manifest symptoms can pass the disease to another person. There is a possibility that the disease is an aerosol (passed through the air) but the current recorded symptoms of this HFV define exposure only through fluid contact. 2 ? 21 days after initial contact, the patient manifests symptoms of headache, body ache, fever, and weakness. If the disease goes unchecked, the patient can develop internal hemorrhaging. It is this late stage of the disease which leads to the highest mortality conditions. Patents who reach this hemorrhaging stage tend to succumb to Ebola."
Abstract This paper points out the weaknesses and the strengths of Richard Preston's book about emerging infectious diseases. The paper points out that "The Hot Zone" provides mainstream audiences with an effective introduction to modern emerging infectious diseases, but sometimes, the novel's serious inaccuracies and exaggerations damage a complex public understanding of the topic.
From the Paper "The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston, improves mainstream audience's understanding of emerging infectious disease, and yet damages the positive impact of this exposure by introducing known inaccuracies and exaggerations. Preston's book is largely well-written, entertaining, and accessible. While much of the book is well-researched and scientifically accurate, inaccuracies include Preston's claim that a single mutation may cause Ebola to mutate into a much more infectious airborne agent, sensationalism about the importance of the Ebola virus, ethical judgments about the emergence of rainforest viruses, and a misleading representation of viruses as predators. Despite these inaccuracies, The Hot Zone is important to public science education as a way to introduce readers to concepts within the field of emerging diseases. From this point, scientists can use The Hot Zone as a springboard to introducing other concepts within the field of emerging diseases. Ultimately, while inaccuracies and sensationalism damage the public's understanding of the topic of emerging diseases, The Hot Zone, provides mainstream audiences with an effective introduction to modern emerging infectious disease."
Abstract This paper discusses various historic epidemic diseases, such as the black plague and smallpox. The paper presents a brief history of the use of these diseases as weaponry. Modern-day biological threats, such as anthrax, botulism, tularemia, and Ebola are explored in the paper. The paper explains that the relatively small size of biologic weapons to their large-scale destructive capabilities make them a very real threat in modern warfare and terrorism.
From the Paper "The Black Plague killed an estimated forty percent of the population of Europe between 1347 and 1427; with some cities and villages experiencing seventy or eighty percent mortality (Herlihy 2, 43). Out of its ashes rose a new understanding of medical science, the European renaissance, as well as a powerful respect for disease. Over five hundred years later Western scientists, armed with post World War II technology, seemed prepared to rid the world of any disease that could threaten humanity. Yet, despite the new weaponry on the side of humans and the heightened optimism of the time, new plagues seemed ready to meet the challenge medical science was the real underdog. During the twentieth century western medicine has gone through several phases, all as responses to immediate medical needs and pervading public worries of the time. Most recently, the threat of bioterrorism has stirred-up many fears that a new plague might ravage our world, and this mindset has demanded a response form the medical community."
Abstract Weapons of mass destruction for the use of biological terror attacks may fall into the hands of rouge nations or terrorist organization through arms deals. This threat is a real one that the United States faces everyday, along with the rest of the world. The paper shows that coping with such a threat is not an easy job. The development of an organized system to manage the potential of an attack is the main key to coping with this threat. Before examining how the world understands and deals with this threat, the paper takes a look into the history of biological warfare.
From the Paper "Since 1999 however, technology has produced significant leaps and bounds into the defensive technologies listed as a problem by Dr. Zilinskas. The ability to detect in real time the type of agent along with its concentration is currently a reality and used at various military instillations as well as numerous federal and state buildings. This is due primarily because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. on 9/11."
Abstract This paper provides a thorough look at the dangerous threat of modern terrorism, known as bio-terrorism. In particular, it looks at how the United States is vulnerable to this form of attack and examines how the country's authorities are dealing with the threat- both on a national and international scale.
Paper Outline:
The Commencement of the Attack
The Screening Process
What Agencies Should be Involved
Health Check
Epidemiological Analysis
Criminal Investigation
Mass Prophylaxis
Residual Hazard Evaluation and Alleviation
Control of Affected Area and Population
Modular Emergency Medical System (MEMS)
Managing the Dead
Emergency Management Procedures
Logistic and Supply Support
Stability of Critical Infrastructure
Responsibility for an Event of this Nature
How can we Better the Process for the Future?
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "It is heartening to note that since the September 11 attacks, several local communities have been collaborating with "Department of Health and Human Services" (DHHS) in order to ensure that effective measures can be taken to tackle a bio-terrorist attack, should it take place on American soil. The benefits of this collaboration can be timely distribution of information and medicine, which can tremendously assist in decreasing the number of people infected."
