Can Ebola virus disease be treated

As is the case with yellow fever, there is currently no available drug to cure Ebola virus disease.

  • Research and experiments are being carried out to develop an effective drug for the disease. There are also no available licensed vaccines yet. However, there are two potential vaccines that are in the process of human safety testing.
  • Currently, treatment of Ebola virus disease involves supportive care, managing the symptoms of the disease, and complications as they appear.
  • The chances of a person who has Ebola virus disease recovering depends on the quality of supportive health care the person gets. It also depends on the way the individual’s immune system responds to the disease.

Some of the components of care provided for an Ebola patient are:

  1. Giving intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration.
  2. Maintaining normal blood pressure.
  3. Giving oxygen.
  4. Treating other infections if they occur.
  5. Blood transfusion.

When these are started on time and carried out immediately they are needed, then the chances of recovery and surviving the disease are higher.

  • Anyone who recovers and survives Ebola virus disease develops antibodies that protect him/her from becoming infected with the virus for a minimum of 10 years, or perhaps longer. It is not yet known whether the immunity is for life. It is also not certain whether or not Ebola survivors can be infected by a different species of the Ebola virus than the one that had previously infected them.
  • Some of the Ebola survivors have been seen to develop mental health problems after surviving the disease. So, psychosocial support should be provided for them.
  • There are more than 10,000 Ebola survivors in the world today. Quality health care plays a role in increasing the chances of survival of an Ebola-infected person.
SHARE
Somso Kizor enjoys words. She loves reading good books and writing - amongst other things. Somso is passionate about educating people about their health; as this would reduce the burden of diseases and deaths (hence, suffering) all over the world. Let's not forget the popular saying that goes "health is wealth." For more details, send an email to info@healthfacts.ng

11 COMMENTS

  1. Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before
    but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
    Nonetheless, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll
    be book-marking and checking back frequently!

  2. Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Ie.

    I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know.
    The design and style look great though! Hope you get
    the issue resolved soon. Cheers

  3. Magnificent items from you, man. I have take into accout your stuff previous to and you’re simply
    too great. I really like what you’ve obtained here, certainly like what you’re saying and
    the way in which in which you say it. You’re making it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it smart.
    I cant wait to read much more from you. This is really a tremendous
    web site.

  4. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but
    I in finding this topic to be actually something which I believe I’d by no means understand.

    It kind of feels too complicated and very extensive for me.
    I am having a look ahead to your next put up,
    I’ll try to get the hang of it!

  5. I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both equally
    educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the
    head. The issue is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about.
    Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something concerning this.

  6. I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I found this during my hunt for something relating to this.

LEAVE A REPLY