Ebola Symptoms and How It Liquefies Your Organs
Oct 6, 2014 0:03:35 GMT -5
Post by PurplePuppy on Oct 6, 2014 0:03:35 GMT -5
FRIGHTENING: Ebola Symptoms and How It Liquefies Your Organs
(by Julian James, July 31, 2014) -- An outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus which started in Guinea in February has so far killed nearly 700 people — and is rapidly spreading. If you haven’t heard of Ebola, it’s a pretty nasty piece of work. Actually, if truth be told, it’s the stuff of nightmares. The virus is believed to originally be caught from animals like bats and once humans are infected it can spread like wildfire among the population, killing off 90 per cent of those who catch it.
Since the outbreak in February Ebola has made its presence felt even more in West Africa after spreading to neighbouring countries. At the end of July 2014 Sierra Leone declared an Ebola public health emergency, telling its armed forces to enforce areas of quarantine around affected areas. Countries around the world have also issued their own health alerts over fears the virus could spread through international airports.
Here we look at ten terrifying facts about the disease.
10 It ‘liquefies’ your organs
The Ebola Virus causes Ebola Virus Disease or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, which manifests itself in several nasty ways before it really takes hold (see 9 and 7 below). And when it does, there’s no looking back. The virus attacks every organ in the body, turning your insides to mush while you are still alive. ‘Liquifying’ is actually a bit of a far-fetched word, but the virus does destroy your organs causing massive internal bleeding.
9 You bleed through your orifices
As well the internal bleeding as vomiting blood, one of the severe symptoms of ebola virus disease is bleeding out of almost every orifice in the body — including your mouth, gums, nose, and genitals. If you’ve had any recent injections before or during your fight against the disease, you’ll bleed through the needle puncture wounds too. You also bleed under your skin, causing massive bruise-like marks to spread across the surface. Around 40 to 50 per cent of cases exhibit some bleeding out of the body’s mucous membranes.
8 Most people who get it die
The death rate from ebola can be as high as 90 per cent, and around eight in ten people who’ve caught it since it was first identified have died. During an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, 143 people caught the virus, and of them 128 died. Another outbreak in the same country in 2007 killed 186 people out of the 264 who caught it.
7 It’s one of the most agonising deaths possible
As ebola attacks your entire body, victims experience extreme suffering. The disease starts with fevers, chest pain and nausea and, in many cases, horrific rashes over the skin. That is coupled with severe headaches, confusion, and seizures. Then comes the internal and external bleeding before your body starts to shut down and it suffers multiple organ failure, leading to death.
6 It’s incredibly easy to transmit
Ebola is transmitted through the bodily fluids of an infected animal or person. This means blood, saliva, and semen, as well as any object that has come into contact with those things — like needles, bedsheets and toilets. Scientific tests have shown that the Ebola Virus can be transmitted through the air, but no cases of this happening in real life have been documented.
5 Once you get it, those around you are likely to as well
Because the early symptoms of Ebola are so similar to those of other far more common diseases, like flu or malaria, it’s usually a while before you realise you’ve got it. Laboratory tests have to be carried out before its presence can be confirmed. Because most people do not realise they have it for some time, people around them do not take any precautions and are very likely to get it too. Other people at grave risk are medical staff tasked with looking after people who have caught the disease.
4 There is no cure
There are no known drugs that can treat or prevent Ebola Virus Disease. You’re either dead, or you come through it on your own. The only thing that can be done is to support the body’s fight. For example, dehydration is a big problem for victims, so keeping them hydrated is a priority. However keeping the use of injections to a minimum is important for obvious reasons (see number 9 above).
3 You can catch it from dead people
Ebola is still contagious in the bodies of those people it has already killed. Many cases in the past have been transmitted from dead victims to those preparing their bodies at their funerals or carrying those bodies to their graves.
2 And from having sex with people who’ve had it
The ebola virus can be transmitted through semen while someone is contagious — and that means up to seven weeks after recovery. So a man who had had the disease could pass it to any woman he had sex with for around two months after he himself had fully recovered.
1 It could end up in the USA
It's already here with Patient Zero in Dallas, Texas as of October 5, 2014.
link
(by Julian James, July 31, 2014) -- An outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus which started in Guinea in February has so far killed nearly 700 people — and is rapidly spreading. If you haven’t heard of Ebola, it’s a pretty nasty piece of work. Actually, if truth be told, it’s the stuff of nightmares. The virus is believed to originally be caught from animals like bats and once humans are infected it can spread like wildfire among the population, killing off 90 per cent of those who catch it.
Since the outbreak in February Ebola has made its presence felt even more in West Africa after spreading to neighbouring countries. At the end of July 2014 Sierra Leone declared an Ebola public health emergency, telling its armed forces to enforce areas of quarantine around affected areas. Countries around the world have also issued their own health alerts over fears the virus could spread through international airports.
Here we look at ten terrifying facts about the disease.
10 It ‘liquefies’ your organs
The Ebola Virus causes Ebola Virus Disease or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, which manifests itself in several nasty ways before it really takes hold (see 9 and 7 below). And when it does, there’s no looking back. The virus attacks every organ in the body, turning your insides to mush while you are still alive. ‘Liquifying’ is actually a bit of a far-fetched word, but the virus does destroy your organs causing massive internal bleeding.
9 You bleed through your orifices
As well the internal bleeding as vomiting blood, one of the severe symptoms of ebola virus disease is bleeding out of almost every orifice in the body — including your mouth, gums, nose, and genitals. If you’ve had any recent injections before or during your fight against the disease, you’ll bleed through the needle puncture wounds too. You also bleed under your skin, causing massive bruise-like marks to spread across the surface. Around 40 to 50 per cent of cases exhibit some bleeding out of the body’s mucous membranes.
8 Most people who get it die
The death rate from ebola can be as high as 90 per cent, and around eight in ten people who’ve caught it since it was first identified have died. During an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, 143 people caught the virus, and of them 128 died. Another outbreak in the same country in 2007 killed 186 people out of the 264 who caught it.
7 It’s one of the most agonising deaths possible
As ebola attacks your entire body, victims experience extreme suffering. The disease starts with fevers, chest pain and nausea and, in many cases, horrific rashes over the skin. That is coupled with severe headaches, confusion, and seizures. Then comes the internal and external bleeding before your body starts to shut down and it suffers multiple organ failure, leading to death.
6 It’s incredibly easy to transmit
Ebola is transmitted through the bodily fluids of an infected animal or person. This means blood, saliva, and semen, as well as any object that has come into contact with those things — like needles, bedsheets and toilets. Scientific tests have shown that the Ebola Virus can be transmitted through the air, but no cases of this happening in real life have been documented.
5 Once you get it, those around you are likely to as well
Because the early symptoms of Ebola are so similar to those of other far more common diseases, like flu or malaria, it’s usually a while before you realise you’ve got it. Laboratory tests have to be carried out before its presence can be confirmed. Because most people do not realise they have it for some time, people around them do not take any precautions and are very likely to get it too. Other people at grave risk are medical staff tasked with looking after people who have caught the disease.
4 There is no cure
There are no known drugs that can treat or prevent Ebola Virus Disease. You’re either dead, or you come through it on your own. The only thing that can be done is to support the body’s fight. For example, dehydration is a big problem for victims, so keeping them hydrated is a priority. However keeping the use of injections to a minimum is important for obvious reasons (see number 9 above).
3 You can catch it from dead people
Ebola is still contagious in the bodies of those people it has already killed. Many cases in the past have been transmitted from dead victims to those preparing their bodies at their funerals or carrying those bodies to their graves.
2 And from having sex with people who’ve had it
The ebola virus can be transmitted through semen while someone is contagious — and that means up to seven weeks after recovery. So a man who had had the disease could pass it to any woman he had sex with for around two months after he himself had fully recovered.
1 It could end up in the USA
It's already here with Patient Zero in Dallas, Texas as of October 5, 2014.
link