Since 1976, 12,000 deaths have resulted from a single disease called Ebola (Gale). Ebola first emerged in Africa almost 50 years ago as a novel virus thought to be derived from bats, mutated to transmit to humans. There have since been 36 outbreaks in Africa with the most recent one being in 2018 (Gale). The fatality rate ranges from 65-70% and the deaths are gruesome (Johnston). Victims suffer from high fevers, abdominal pain, vomiting, and hemorrhages from the eyes and stomach, which can eventually lead to the liquefaction of organs (WHO).
Despite many attempts to discover a cure, there has been no effective treatment. The disease is still not controlled in several regions in Africa, namely the Congo, and is still able to kill thousands of people with each outbreak (Moss). Currently, there are only preventative measures, which still do not guarantee the safety of the community. Even though an effective vaccine has been developed, it is not commercially licensed since more scientific research is necessary, and is therefore not available for widespread use (WHO).
In order for the eradication of Ebola to become a reality, there are multiple barriers that must be addressed. One main barrier is the difficulty of finding a treatment for this enigmatic virus (WHO). Ebola can evolve and mutate over time so vaccines that are developed may not be effective in future outbreaks. Testing is also limited because it requires special high-level safety precautions which limits the ability to conduct experiments (Rettner). In addition, Africa has been a particularly challenging region to try to control these outbreaks. The remote locations make it difficult to deliver health care, and the wariness of villagers against western personnel and medicines is prevalent (Moss). This leads to increased unpredictability of the spread of disease since small isolated villages can be affected and flare ups are hard to detect. The geographical location also decreases the accessibility to these locations and makes it harder for health organizations to render aid (MSF). Policy changes also need to be enforced in order for there to be improved control of Ebola. Funding needs to increase for the CDC and WHO to help manage cases that emerge and changes need to be instituted to help stabilize and create a more robust health system to help with surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases such as Ebola. For this to occur, economic stability and a better standard of living is required in the region (Moss). Finally, the violence and instability in Africa has made it difficult for foreign and international organizations to help control the disease (Moss). For example, in the 2018 outbreak, the CDC had to withdraw from the area due to armed conflict and unrest. This unfortunately prolonged the outbreak and led to 271 deaths which made it the second most deadly Ebola outbreak (Gale).
In conclusion, Ebola is still a current threat in various regions of Africa. It is not completely eradicated and has the potential of creating future outbreaks. Unfortunately, the medical community has yet to find an effective cure against Ebola and the violence and unrest in regions of Africa make it difficult for us to gain control. Geographic and socioeconomic barriers are other challenges that need to be overcome. The World Health Organization recommends comprehensive “infection prevention and control practices, surveillance and constant tracing... and social mobilisation” as ways to prevent and control the spread of Ebola (WHO). To summarize, the solution to eradicate Ebola is multifactorial and by only addressing them together, the prevention of future Ebola outbreaks can be achieved.
Works Cited:
"Ebola." Gale Global Issues Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CP3208520471/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=13f423f6. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
“Ebola Virus Disease.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 10 Feb. 2020, www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease.
Johnston, Robert. “Statistics on the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola Outbreak.” Statistics on the 2014-2015 West Africa Ebola Outbreak, 4 July 2015, www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/westafrica-ebola.html.
Moss, Kellie, et al. “The Current Ebola Outbreak and the U.S. Role: An Explainer.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 23 Dec. 2019, www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/the-current-ebola-outbreak-and-the-u-s-role-an-explainer/.
MSF. “DRC Ebola Outbreaks: Crisis Update - 13 January 2020 - Democratic Republic of the Congo.” ReliefWeb, 13 Jan. 2020, reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/drc-ebola-outbreaks-crisis-update-13-january-2020.
Rettner, Rachael. “Ebola Virus: Why Isn't There a Cure?” LiveScience, Purch, 23 June 2014, www.livescience.com/46479-ebola-treatment-cure.html.
I like the use of you evidence in your article, it really is informative and flows within the article. My main takeaway from this article was how there are so many aspects that contribute to this virus to still be around, which is sad? One thing I wonder about the vaccine is, Will it be approved later on?
ReplyDeleteI think your intro is very effective, and the evidence is very well-chosen and helps to prove your point. The main takeaway I had was that there are many barriers to eradicating Ebola, including the difficulty of finding a treatment and the unpredictability of the spread of the disease. My question is which of the barriers do you think will be able to be broken first in order to eradicate Ebola?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your article! My favorite part was the hook and introduction because it very effectively got my attention and introduced your ideas. My main takeaway Ebola is still such a threat to African countries and there are many barriers in the way of abolishing the virus. One question I had was, how does the violence and unrest in Africa add difficulty to finding a cure for Ebola?
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