Abstract

AN OVERVIEW OF EBOLA. AN EMERGING VIRUS

Reddy, P.B*

ABSTRACT

Ebola virus is one of the most virulent virus and emerged as a crisis in West Africa and WHO declared it a ‘‘public health emergency of international concern. WHO also declared similar emergencies for polio and the swine flu pandemic in 2009. The present eruption linked with Ebola disease in African continent is believed to be one of the huge epidemic disease caused by the Ebola viral infections. It is believed that Ebola has been transmitted to the Western regions through the tourists from wide spread countries like Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Now this disease is spreading through the contact in any form from the infected persons or patients. The infection is characterized by unexpected onset of fever, chills, malaise, gastrointestinal, respiratory, cutaneous, and neural symptoms. Until now, no definite therapeutics or vaccines have been approved for this lethal disease. Initially it infects macrophages and endothelial cells by producing an anti interferon Protein 24 (eVP24) which prevents interferon-based signals. The mechanism of Ebola virus on the function of the immune system is still unclear hence no standard treatment is available. Countries affected to date including India do not have the capacity to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity on their own. In this article I reviewed recent research articles from Google scholar,scimago,webscience and other database sources and tried to collect the updated information on epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment of Ebola virus infection which will be helpful for researchers and doctors to design drugs for the treatment of Ebola virus disease.

Keywords: Ebola, patho physiology, immune system, treatment.