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Epidemics and pandemics in human history paper
Epidemics and pandemics in human history paper
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The US Scares Ebola
Not too long ago one of the deadliest diseases known as Ebola infected a majority of West Africa’s population and turned into an Epidemic. Although a majority of cases occurred in West Africa, many of us around the world are terrified. It is definitely understandable as to why we are scared of this fatal disease. After all a few people around the world did get infected with Ebola while being a caregiver to patients infected with the disease. However I find it funny because you could be walking around school, work or a grocery store and if you cough or sneeze people look at you funny and kind of back away. It’s always great to be aware and cautious but to an extent. Although Ebola is deadly and can spread rapidly you shouldn’t fear Ebola as much as you do especially here in the US because we are very well prepared and educated.
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We were terrified. Especially because the media and news made it so hype; they made it seem like it was spreading very rapidly all over, which it was but only West Africa. We felt bad and were scared but then we calmed down because it was only in West Africa and that’s very far away from the US. However when we heard about the man who was released from a hospital in Texas whom later showed symptoms of Ebola then was diagnosed with Ebola and admitted to a hospital in Texas we began to worry. I have family in Texas and we were discussing Ebola and how it can be transmitted from human to human. Just the thought of it spreading in the US made us feel helpless. As we were listening to the news and thinking we were overwhelmingly frightened especially because it was now in the US and there was no effective FDA approved vaccine or cure. However after doing some research of my own I found out that we really shouldn’t be scared because the US is very well prepared when it comes to controlling and manipulating diseases like
Ebola from everyone’s point of view is seen as inferno. Dr. Steven Hatch’s memorable journey began with him volunteering to leave for Liberia in 2013 to work at a hospital in Monrovia to fight Ebola in one of its most affected areas. There were only a few patients with Ebola when he arrived. The number of patients rapidly increased over his time in Liberia. After six months Ebola was declared a world health emergency and not only were ordinary people outside of the hospital getting the virus but the medical personnel that were tending to the patients had caught it and some of them had even died.
The Ebola Outbreak spread panic and suspicion throughout the world, similar to how the witch trials spreading hysteria around Salem. With news of Ebola spreading and mutating quickly, the world flung into panic (Ebola {2}). No one knew who all had come in contact with, or who was carrying the deadly disease. Similarly in Salem, people don’t know who is a witch, nor do they know if witchcraft has even been occurring (Salem). Regardless if the accusations were true, a mass panic spread over the people of Salem just like what happened with the Ebola outbreak.
(Barry 5). In the United States, the experience during the pandemic varied from location to location. Some areas were better off whereas some were hit horribly by the disease, such as Philadelphia. It also came as a shock to many, though some predicted it's coming; few thought it would strike with the speed and lethality that it did. Though the inherent qualities of the flu enabled its devastation of the country, the response to the flu was in part responsible as well.
...nd make people aware that it is more common than people realize and that a rather large part of America has the illness, whether they know it or not. This paper also discussed how the virus, could target certain individuals more easily than others based on the genetic makeup of an individual and families.
Almost no one on Earth has any immunity at all to this virus, which makes ordinary vaccines useless against it. The sudden spread of the virus into Europe foreshadows an epidemic development that could be worldwide. Ultimately, there is no way to protect ourselves against epidemics. They will keep disappearing and coming back in new forms.
In recent decades, there are high numbers of the disease are breaking out worldwide. West Africa could be one of the most frequent happen area of the incidence of disease. These diseases easy to be spread and them usually can cause high risk of death. Ebola, one of the fast transmissible viruses, outbreaking wide in West Africa area recently. Ebola has caused 5,459 deaths out of 15,351 (Reuters, 2014) cases identified in Africa and the number of death is still climbing.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease that was first recorded in 1976, when an outbreak occurred in Yambuku, Zaire, a country that was latter renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo (Walsh, Biek & Real, 2005). During the outbreak 318 cases were recorded of which 280 (88%) died. Later the same year, an outbreak occurred in Sudan where 284 cases were recorded with fatality rate of 53%. The disease and the virus that cause it are named after River Ebola that passes though Yambuku. In the USA, Ebola killed several monkeys in Reston, Virginia in 1989 (Barton, 2006; CDC, 2000). Despite several other outbreaks, the disease has neither medically approved pre-exposure nor post-exposure interventions. However, ongoing research shows optimistic signs.
Ebola, a virus which acquires its name from the Ebola River (located in Zaire, Africa), first emerged in September 1976, when it erupted simultaneously in 55 villages near the headwaters of the river. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and resulted in the deaths of nine out of every ten victims. Although it originated over 20 years ago, it still remains as a fear among African citizens, where the virus has reappeared occasionally in parts of the continent. In fact, and outbreak of the Ebola virus has been reported in Kampala, Uganda just recently, and is still a problem to this very day. Ebola causes severe viral hemorrhagic fevers in humans and monkeys, and has a 90 % fatality rate. Though there is no cure for the disease, researchers have found limited medical possibilities to help prevent one from catching this horrible virus.
After being infected with the Ebola virus it takes 2-21 days to take effect. It depends if you had a direct infection, such as a hypodermic needle or a syringe, or a less direct infection, such as close contact(www.lfc.edu/`musilam/bio3.html 3). This is just enough time to get on a plane and spread it to people in another area. This could result in an outbreak in other parts of the world. There have been no known cases of this happening though (www.uct.ac.za/microbiology/sanchez.htm 2).
As you exit the bus, another passenger next to you starts to cough, and then you hold the handrail as you exit the bus. Since you’re late getting home, you take a shortcut through a field to get home quicker. These three simple acts just exposed you to bacteria, viruses, and insects that could cause illness or even death. Infectious diseases, also known as communicable disease, are spread by germs. Germs are living things that are found in the air, in the soil, and in water. You can be exposed to germs in many ways, including touching, eating, drinking or breathing something that contains a germ. Animal and insect bites can also spread germs.1
Ebola can be spread in a number of ways. Ebola reproduction in infected cells takes about eight hours. Hundreds to thousands of new virus cells are then released during periods of a few hours to a few days. In most outbreaks, transmission from patient to patient within hospitals has been associated within the reuse of needles and syringes. High rates of transmission in outbreaks have occurred from patients to family members who provide nursing care without barriers to prevent exposure to blood, other body fluids such as, vomit, urine and feces. Risk for transmitting the infection appears to be highest during the later stages of illness. Those symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, shock, and frequently hemorrhaging. Even a person who has recovered from the symptoms of the illness may have the virus present in the genital secretions for a short time after. This makes it possible for the virus to be spread by sexual activity. Complete recovery is reached only when none virus’s cells are left in any body fluids. This is quite rare.
...1976, scientists have not developed a complete understanding of the virus, such as it’s natural reservoir. The non-specific symptoms make it difficult to clinically diagnose, though there are laboratory tests that can be done to help diagnose patients. Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever also spreads quickly and easily, especially in hospitals where the proper safety precautions are not taken. Thankfully, scientists and doctors have made a successful vaccination that worked on monkeys and are working on one that will work on humans, hopefully helping decrease the dangerously high death rate and help save many people that may one day become infected.
In 1976 the first two Ebola outbreaks were recorded. In Zaire and western Sudan five hundred and fifty people reported the horrible disease. Of the five hundred and fifty reported three hundred and forty innocent people died. Again in 1995 Ebola reportedly broke out in Zaire, this time infecting over two hundred and killing one hundred and sixty. (Bib4, Musilam, 1)
One of the current major concerns in the world is the outbreak of Ebola. Ebola is a infectious disease that comes from the Ebola virus and it can cause death if the patient is left untreated. The disease can be managed with treatment of the patient, however. Ebola is a disease that is a major concern in the Subsaharan African Realm, and in the North American Realm,but it is beginning to be dealt with sufficiently in the Northern American Realm.
Infectious diseases also called as communicable diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi), can be spread directly or indirectly from one person to another.