Ebola Virus Disease: Causative Agent, Transmission, Symptoms, Vaccines, and Public Health Management

Running head: HEALTHCARE
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Introduction
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is defined as a rare and deadly disease affecting both
people and non-human primates. The virus resulting in the outbreak of Ebola is originated
from sub-Saharan Africa. People can get infected through Ebola by the help of direct contact
with the infected animal (bat or other non-human primate) or dead/sick person infected with
Ebola virus (Centre of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019). The following paper
will initiate with a detailed overview of the causative agent of EVD and its mode of
transmission. This will be followed by analysis of the disease symptoms and its resemblance
with other infectious diseases. The paper also aims to examine the socio-political barrier in
effective designing of the EVD vaccine along with different in the health prevention
approach in rural and urban areas.
The source of Ebola and mode of transmission
EVD is caused by an infection with a group of viruses that falls under the genus of
Ebolavirus. This includes Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus), Sudan virus (species Sudan
ebolavirus), Tai Forest virus (species Tai Forest ebolavirus), Bundibugyo virus (species
Bundibugyo ebolavirus), Reston virus (species Reston ebolavirus) and Bombali virus (species
Bombali ebolavirus). Among these viruses, only four (Ebola, Tai For Forest, Sudan and
Bundibugyo virus) are found to cause the disease transmission. Reston virus causes disease in
the non-human primates and pigs (CDC, 2019).
The Ebola virus is not an airborne virus. The infection is spread through direct contact
with the bodily fluids of an individual (dead or alive) who is infected with the virus. The
main route of entry of the virus in the human body includes broken skin, mucous membranes
in the nose, eyes and mouth. Ebola also spreads through sexual contact (human-to-human

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transmission). People consuming meat of infected pigs or coming in direct contact with
infected pigs or consuming fruits that have infected bats bite also develop this viral disease
(spillover event) (CDC, 2019).
Ebola symptoms and vaccines and its socio-political context
The main symptoms of the EVD include fever, extreme headache, weakness, fatigue,
muscle pain, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and unexplained haemorrhage like bleeding or
bruising. Symptoms mainly appear within 2 to 21 days of viral contact and the symptoms are
mainly similar to that of influenza (flu) or malaria (CDC, 2019). According to Kohl et al.
(2017) the people who reside in the under-development countries (poor nations) are more
likely to get infected with EVD in comparison to wealthy nation. EVD outbreak in West
Africa (2014 to 2015) is the largest EVD outbreak in the world. Other infected individuals
include the travellers coming to U.S from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (2014). It was
also observed that in poor nation, the population residing in the rural region are the major
affected population.
At present there are no vaccine licensed by the U.S Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in order to protect people from Ebola virus. An experimental vaccine known as rVSV-
ZEBOV was found to be protective against the virus in the trial run conducted by World
Health Organisations (WHO) along with their international partners in Guinea during 2015.
FDA licensure for the vaccine is expected to be passed in 2019. During the mean time,
300,000 doses have been used for stockpile in the emergency department under the regulatory
mechanism of Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and Investigational New Drug (IND)
Application. This will help to prevent the epidemic during an outbreak occurring before FDA
approval (Henao-Restrepo et al., 2017). Apart from this another vaccine of the EVD is on
current research, adenovirus type-5 Ebola vaccine. It is at present on phase 2 trial. The use of