Ebola virus. Omsk hemorrhagic fever

It can be called a cruel irony of fate that humanity emerged on the African continent and such terrible, incurable diseases as AIDS and the Ebola virus. Although it is believed that not only nature but also the intervention of a certain circle of scientists who wanted to create new bacterial weapons helped them to appear, but the fact remains that they are deadly diseases. In this situation, only one thing pleases: the Ebola virus, unlike AIDS, has not yet spread to other continents. For the first time it was found in corpses of great apes (as well as AIDS) and some antelopes in 1976.

This terrible disease is the killer of the human body at the subcellular level. Its lethality reaches 90%. Scientists have not yet established how individuals can still survive after it. There is an opinion that this virus has passed several stages of scientific research and only after that it was "released to freedom". Whether it is so or not, it is unlikely that we will ever find out, although it is very surprising its feature, will not spread beyond Africa, as happened with HIV (AIDS). It is believed that the Ebola virus did not massively spread for the reason that it almost lacks an asymptomatic period when the patient, who is the carrier of the disease, does not know about its presence and spreads the causative agents of the disease around itself.

The infected person very quickly learns of the disease, but even in the provision of medical care in most cases, he soon dies. The virus that causes this disease is very undemanding. He feels great both in human living tissues and in the dead. The Ebola virus belongs to the family of filoviruses (Filoviridae) and is subdivided into 5 different species: Sudan, Zaire, Côte d'Ivoire, Bundibugjo, Reston. They are named so in the area where the greatest outbreaks of the disease occurred. The most massive epidemics are associated with such highly pathogenic species as Sudan, Zaire, Bundibugyo.

Ebola virus causes a disease related to hemorrhagic fevers. Infection occurs by direct contact with the secretions, blood, organs and tissues of the infected object. The most common way of getting infected is to eat foods contaminated with this virus. A serious problem for Africa is the lack in many countries of a centralized sewage and sewage purification system. Products of human life are often simply defended and used to fertilize fields, and the virus, which is in excrement, freely spreads in very large areas. Another problem for residents is the entry of sewage into rivers and reservoirs, where people and animals consume water.

The disease can be manifested by internal and external bleeding. It is characterized by a sharp hyperthermia, headaches and muscle pains, a strong weakness. Often it is accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, rash, impaired functioning of the liver and kidneys. There is no effective treatment for this disease. Doctors often only slightly ease the patient's condition, eliminating some of the accompanying symptoms.

Unfortunately, in Russia, severe viral diseases often occur. These include, for example, Omsk haemorrhagic fever. Natural foci of infection have been identified in many areas: Omsk, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Kurgan, Orenburg. The causes of the disease were established by isolating from the blood of infected people and ixodid mites a virus close to tick-borne encephalitis. It belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the Togaviridae family. The main sources of infection are water rats, waterfowl. To a human, the virus gets through the ixodid ticks Dermacentor marginatus and pictus at the time of their bite. It is not excluded that people are infected by getting liquids from infected animals through wounds on the skin and mucous membranes when treating skins, bathing in water, and also by food and water. The disease is recorded from April to September, with a peak in May and August.

The incubation period of the virus is 2-12 days. The disease has an acute onset with 40 ° C fever, chills, flushing of the face, headache, injection of sclera. Muscle pains appear in the muscles, especially in the limbs and back. The high temperature is observed for 3-4 days, then it decreases and reaches normal values by 10-12 days. Most patients have 2 waves of fever with all the symptoms, although in a less severe form. Since the first days of the disease there are bleeding (most often nasal). Almost a third of patients develop atypical pneumonia.

The diagnosis is based on an epidemiological anamnesis, serological examination and clinical picture. Patients immediately hospitalized. Treatment is carried out with the help of detoxification therapy, calcium chloride, vitamin K, ascorbic acid, glucocorticoids. Serum or immunoglobulin of people who have been ill with this disease is often used. The prognosis for recovery is usually favorable. In patients with fever, there is a steady immunity to this virus.

Prevention consists in improving the health of the disease (systematic destruction of aquatic animals - possible sources of the virus). In the foci of the disease, repellents, protective clothing, inspections for the detection and destruction of ticks are used. When a tick is found, the victim is immunoprophylaxis with serum from the blood of people who have recovered.