Ebola virus disease
Ebola is a viral disease that rapidly presents symptoms after a subject has been come in contact with the virus. These symptoms are common among tropical diseases thus rendering diagnosis particularly difficult. Ebola is transmitted through the passage of body fluids from an infected individual; this refers to direct contact or contact with an object that has previously been contaminated by someone who is host to the virus.
Symptoms
As stated, the symptoms of EVD (Ebola virus disease) are similar to other tropical diseases such as Dengue fever and Malaria. The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK report that “A person infected with Ebola virus will typically develop a fever, a headache, joint and muscle pain, a sore throat and intense muscle weakness”.[1]
These symptoms are also presented in many non-fatal diseases however the mortality rate of EVD is particularly high. The World Health Organisation states “the average EVA case fatality rate is around 50%”[2] whereas the NHS claim a figure of 50-90% of cases.[3] Given the high mortality rate and ease of transmission to those in a close proximity a swift EVD diagnosis is often not only critical for the patient but also others.
Diagnosis
The process in which someone is diagnosed with EVD is difficult because of the generic nature of the symptoms and the severity of the disease. Without many distinguishable symptoms EVD is open to be misdiagnosed as another disease and an inappropriate treatment and care plan could be administered. The severity of the disease also increases the complexity of diagnosis as those who are presenting symptoms but go undiagnosed are encouraged to ring forward rather than visit a physician so they can remain in isolation until the proper arrangements for treatment and care can be made. Diseases that are transmitted through bodily fluids are notorious for rapid outbreaks within close-knit clinical settings. This can be observed by the rapid outbreak in West African countries whom may not have the facilities or infrastructure in place to pre-emptively isolate patients appropriately.
The Centre for Disease control is a public health institution based in America devoted to the prevention and control of disease; they present a concise table on their website stating the diagnostic tests available to ebola sufferers based upon the length of time a patient has been infected with the virus.
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The diagnostic tests presented by the CDC involve handling the body fluids and tissues of those who have been infected with the disease and thusly amplify risk of transmission if not carried out safely.
Currently, Ebola has no licensed treatment available so precautionary measures are emphasised to contain outbreaks and prevent the spread of disease. This includes patient isolation which forms the backbone of many plans put into place by governments around the world. For example in light of the outbreak in March 2014 the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, has allegedly “urged other European countries to start Ebola screenings at airports”.[5] This approach is formulated on the understanding that the 2014 outbreak originated in West Africa and that European countries are at minimal risk due to being a great distance from the site of origin.