How West Africa beat the Ebola epidemic. Consequences for Ebola survivors. Ebola - treatment

The deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa has become one of the main topics in Western media. CNN airs a story claiming a deadly virus could reach the US. Do not exclude such a possibility in Europe.

"A man boards a plane in Liberia with small temperature. As we get closer to New York, it grows, and the throat hurts more and more. When he lands, he thinks he has the flu. But it's not. He got infected deadly virus Ebola. He soon dies from hemorrhagic fever surrounded by family. Some of them become infected, and this blows the fuse, ”the channel describes the alarming scenario.

On a rhetorical question, whether this can really happen, the authors of the plot answer "yes and no." On the one hand, the virus can enter the United States. On the other hand, it is not so contagious, and doctors in the United States will deal with it faster than in West Africa. Besides, in developed countries there are many more opportunities to isolate the patient.

Doctors Without Borders warns that the epidemic, which is currently raging in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, will continue, writes AFP. They fear the spread of the disease in Europe. In Spanish Valencia, there was already a case similar to Ebola, but the fears were not confirmed.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that an infected person will appear in Europe, but the EU has the ability to quickly track down any outbreak and respond,” a source in Brussels told the agency.

Recently, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the Ebola virus is serious danger for the country, according to The Telegraph.

First possible case fever outside Africa was recorded in Hong Kong, ITAR-TASS reports with reference to China Daily. The quarantined woman recently returned from Africa, but the diagnosis has not yet been officially confirmed.

The epidemic is beginning to worry politicians in Russia as well. State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev asks Rospotrebnadzor to ban Russians from traveling to West Africa, Izvestia writes.

“Analyzing the incidence of Ebola in the West African region, we can conclude that there is a threat of an epidemic. Despite the warnings of Rospotrebnadzor about the danger of visiting these countries, there is a possibility of infection of compatriots and the transfer of the disease to Russia,” he explains.

Experts in an interview with the newspaper say that it is impossible to completely ban travel, but it is worth strengthening the control of visitors from countries affected by the epidemic.

The US charity Peace Corps has already suspended operations in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone today after two employees of the US charity Samaritan Purse (Samaritan's Purse) were infected with the virus.

The death toll from the virus in West Africa has risen to 672 since February, according to the latest WHO data. In total, 1093 cases of infection have been recorded since February this year. Liberian authorities are closing schools, markets and border crossings, and plan to introduce a mandatory 30-day vacation for civil servants. Previously, the authorities were forced to introduce criminal liability for concealing patients.

There is no effective treatment or vaccine for Ebola, and the mortality rate is as high as 90% depending on the form of the disease. The illness begins with a sudden fever accompanied by strong weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, nausea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases internal and external bleeding.

A new Ebola epidemic began in February in Guinea, from where the virus spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. While the laboratory research, who confirmed that this is exactly the disease, the virus spread freely throughout the country. Presumably, the peddler was the meat of bats.

For the first time in history, the virus was recorded in 1976 in Zaire on the banks of the Ebola River and so far has raged only in the center of the continent. The current outbreak was the first in history in western Africa.

But the most famous was the epidemic that began in the summer of 2014. Then, in a short period of time, more than 900 people out of 1,700 sick people died from the virus. But after a few months, everyone forgot about the disease, and now many are wondering where Ebola went.

Characteristics of the disease

The outbreak of the epidemic in 2014 began in the summer in Central Africa. The Congo region was the most affected. The virus is transmitted only through direct contact. healthy person with the patient's blood or other body fluids. Airborne this disease is not transmitted.

Ebola cases were recorded, as a rule, in 2014, the epidemic was in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, DRC, Senegal, Mali. But cases of the disease have been reported in Spain, Great Britain, and the United States. True, the virus did not spread in these countries. The virus was brought to Spain and the United States by travelers from Africa.

Distribution routes

It is worth noting that you can get infected even by contact with a deceased or embalmed person, by touching contaminated equipment. For example, the virus has spread so widely in the United States because hospital workers there do not use special protective clothing. They are not particularly popular universal necessary measures precautions, because of this, the spread of viruses is more active. To make matters worse, needles are often reused in those countries.

If all security measures are followed, you can be sure that the Ebola virus will not spread in the world. This is also confirmed by the fact that people who fell ill in African countries did not become a source of mass infection upon arrival at home.

Pathogenesis

Outside of hospitals, the virus can spread as actively as inside them. You can get infected through the mucous membranes and microtrauma of the skin. The incubation period can last from 2 to 21 days.

This infection is characterized by the appearance of symptoms general intoxication and bleeding disorders. In sick people, the temperature suddenly rises, there are pains in the throat, muscles and head. They also complain about general weakness. In many cases, the disease is accompanied by vomiting, rashes, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems. Sometimes external or internal bleeding opens. Analyzes show whites too blood cells, while increasing the concentration of liver enzymes.

The development of bleeding indicates a possible poor prognosis. If the patient does not recover in 7-16 days, then the probability lethal outcome increases noticeably. Most often, death occurs from bleeding in the second week of the disease.

Stopping the epidemic

In 2014, everyone was talking about the possible spread of the virus. But the talk quickly died down, and people began to wonder where Ebola had gone. Many assume that these were just rumors. But this is not so, the virus does exist.

Is there a problem?

Of course, the epidemic of 2014 was remembered by everyone. But over time, interest in this topic subsided, and by the beginning of 2015 everyone was thinking where Ebola had gone. In fact, in African countries, it was not possible to get rid of this disease.

Between April 2014 and December 2015, the Zairian ebolavirus infected more than 27,000 people. Of these, more than 11 thousand died. Mortality was 41%. But do not think that 2016 began without incident. In January, more than 100 Ebola cases were reported in the West African nation of Sierra Leone.

To prevent the spread of the disease in the summer of 2015, the government introduced 21 days, which was supposed to last from 18 pm to 6 am. This rule has affected some areas located in the northern part of the country. In addition, residents were banned from traveling to the northern areas of Kambia and Port Loko.

A survey of people in areas of mass infection showed that 7% of the population has antibodies in their blood. This suggests that some of the disease was asymptomatic or mild.

Vaccination

To prevent the development of the disease and to protect people, you can use preventive measures. This is why the Ebola vaccine is so important. Its creation was financed mainly by the United States. In this country, they feared that this virus could be used as

The developments are not finished yet. The American vaccine has been successfully tested on animals. What's more, two US companies have already begun conducting human studies. In 2014, scientists managed to figure out the mechanism by which the Ebola virus disrupts the immune system. And in the summer of 2015, WHO has already reported that trials of the effectiveness of the vaccine were successful. It was tested on 4,000 volunteers from Guinea.

They are also developing a vaccine in Russia. The created drug showed excellent efficiency, so scientists hope that it will be used on a par with Western counterparts. It is planned that the Russian vaccine will be delivered to Guinea in the spring of 2016. According to plans, it should be produced in the amount of about 10 thousand copies per month. If vaccination is made mandatory, then everyone will understand where Ebola has gone.

Until recently, this disease was little known to residents of Europe and the CIS countries, but after a strong outbreak in 2014, everyone heard about African fever. This is a very dangerous viral infection, which during the course has a severe hemorrhagic syndrome. Vaccine for this moment is under laboratory testing.

What is Ebola

This is a highly contagious disease that belongs to the group of hemorrhagic fevers. Describe high mortality, extremely severe course. Ebola disease was discovered in 1976 when there were two major outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan. The virus was named after the Ebola River in Zaire, where this strain of the disease was first isolated. The last outbreak was registered in the spring of 2014 in West Africa. At the same time, for the first time, Ebolavirus crossed water borders, hitting the territory of Europe, North America. WHO has recognized Ebola as a global threat.

Types of Ebola

Virus by morphological features largely coincides with the Marburg virus, but there are differences in antigenic respect. Both diseases belong to the filovirus family. Ebola viruses are divided into 5 main types. Of this list, 4 affect humans, Reston ebolavirus is asymptomatic and does not pose a danger. It is believed that Ebola haemorrhagic fever originated in the equatorial forests. The following types of virus are distinguished:

Taï Forest ebolavirus;
Zaire ebolavirus;
Reston ebolavirus;
Sudan ebolavirus;
Bundibugyo ebolavirus.

Ebola - epidemiology

Ebola disease originates from hemorrhagic fevers. Rodents are the natural reservoir of the virus. Cases have been recorded when infection occurred during the opening of the bodies of chimpanzees or after eating medulla wild monkeys for food. The epidemiology of Ebola is diverse, and an infected person or animal poses a serious threat to others. The pathogen is transmitted by contact, aspiration, artificial way. The virus can be transmitted through:

contact with the sick;
injection.

use of medical instruments that have been in contact with the patient;
caring for the sick;
sexually;
touching household items, shaking hands, contact with urine or blood of the patient and other biological fluids.

Ebola - causes

Within the family, the chance of getting infected is 4-16%, if the nosocomial form is determined - over 50%. The lethality of the disease is 100% if the transmission occurred between people in the first generation. The virus is perceived by the body regardless of gender or age. If it was possible to overcome the disease, then immunity to Ebola appears, re-infections reported in less than 5% of cases. In the local population where the disease spreads, antibodies to the virus are found in 10% of cases.

Outbreaks of the disease occur, usually in spring and summer. The main areas of distribution of the virus are the western, central parts of the African continent. It is recognized that the causes of Ebola are the penetration of infection through the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs, microtrauma of the skin. The source of penetration of the virus has no visible changes. The development of Ebola symptoms occurs very quickly against the background of general intoxication, thrombosis hemorrhagic syndrome.

Ebola symptoms

The incubation period of the disease is 2 to 3 weeks. After that, the symptoms of Ebola fever appear sharply and strongly, the complement system and the immune response are blocked. At the first stages of the development of the virus, general infectious signs are observed that can cause:

arthralgia;
dvs-syndrome;
severe headache (back of the head, forehead area);
increased fatigue;
hemorrhagic rash;
body temperature - up to 40 degrees;
pain in the neck, lower back, joints and muscles;
anorexia;
dysfunction of the kidneys and liver;
dry throat, perspiration;
development of ulcerative pharyngitis, tonsillitis.

Diarrhea, abdominal pains become a sign of Ebola, patients are often disoriented, aggressive, an expression of longing appears on the face, a “mask-like appearance”. A week later, when it's in full swing clinical course diseases, pain in chest, dry agonizing cough. Abdominal cramps increase, become profuse, bloody diarrhea, appears acute pancreatitis.

On the lower half of the body on the 7th day, a morbilliform rash is formed on the extensor surfaces of the extremities. The appearance of orchitis, vulvitis is often noted. A blood test for Ebola infection reveals anemia, neutrophilic leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia. Clinical picture always repeats itself, even when full recovery a person develops serious consequences because of the virus.

Along with these symptoms, there are hemorrhagic signs. Uterine, nasal, gastrointestinal bleeding and at injection sites. By day 14, the cause of death from Ebola is hypovolemic, infectious-toxic shock, massive blood loss. With a favorable outcome, clinical recovery is observed after 3 weeks, the recovery period is extended by 3 months. At this stage, expressed post-traumatic disorder pain, hair loss, poor appetite may develop blindness, hearing loss, mental disorders.

Ebola - ways of transmission

At this stage of the study of the disease, experts can only make assumptions. It is not possible to say exactly how Ebola is transmitted, but small rodents, monkeys, and bats are considered the main carriers of the virus (in the animal kingdom, they transmit to other inhabitants). On the territory of Central Africa, there is an active sale of meat of wild animals, which in many cases does not meet sanitary standards. Even one carcass that contains the virus can cause a new epidemic.

An infected person is very dangerous for others, cases have been recorded when up to 8 contact gear virus. The first people, as a rule, die, further along the chain of transmission, mortality decreases. The Ebola virus can develop in different bodies, tissues, it is possible to reveal it only for 8-10 days. The infection can penetrate from the carrier after sexual contact or with prolonged close contact. As a rule, the virus is transmitted through mucous membranes between people. According to the observation of scientists, non-contact infection does not occur when staying in the same room.

Ebola treatment

The main problem in the treatment of this disease is the lack of effective medicine. Treatment of the Ebola virus can only be carried out in special infectious diseases departments, complete isolation of the patient is organized. Atmogenic measures, methods are used symptomatic therapy. So far, these treatments do not bring good results are ineffective. positive action renders the method of application of plasma convalescents. There is no treatment that would be aimed at eliminating the root cause of the disease (the virus).

If a person has symptoms of Ebola fever, he is immediately placed in a box hospital, the sanitary regime is observed. During dehydration, oral rehydration, intravenous infusions of solutions with electrolytes (hemostatic therapy). With positive dynamics, discharge occurs after 3 weeks from the moment of infection generalization. The human condition must return to normal, virological study have negative result.

All household items with which the patient has been in contact undergo box disinfection and remain there for storage in order to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus. The patient's ward should have a special hood that supplies air only unilaterally - inside the ward. If necessary, the patient is given respiratory support together with hemostatic therapy.

During treatment, disposable instruments are used, which must be destroyed after use. Together with the above methods, disinfection therapy is used. To protect the medical staff, relatives who care for the sick, protective suits are issued. All laboratory studies of the excretions of a patient with the virus are carried out on high level sterility, with the utmost care.

Ebola vaccine

After a strong epidemic in 2014 on the African continent, pharmaceutical companies have become more active in the development of antiserum. The Ebola vaccine is currently undergoing laboratory testing on monkeys. Development is underway in several countries, including Russia. So far, there is no vaccine available on the market. Due to the epidemiology of the virus, WHO allowed the use of experimental sera. Three tests have been created in Russia to help identify the Ebola virus, and preclinical trials of the vaccine are underway.

Video: What is the Ebola virus

First discovered in 1976, the Ebola virus has wreaked havoc throughout central Africa, especially in the Congo region. But previous incidents have affected a small fraction of people, and the 2014 Ebola outbreak affected more than 1,700 people, of which about 900 died. The most frightening thing about the Ebola virus, apart from its lethal effects, is that we know very little about it.

2014 Ebola outbreak

August 6, 2014 World Organization health care announced 932 deaths for the summer of 2014. In a world of billions, this number may seem statistically insignificant, but it's important to understand that tiny rural communities have been particularly hard hit. On August 5, a nurse in Lagos became the first Nigerian to die from the virus. This is especially horrific since Lagos is the most populous city in Africa, densely packed with around 5 million people. Nigeria is trying to contain the outbreak as new cases appear every day. How successful these attempts will be and how many people will die remains unknown.

The 2014 outbreak also spread to Guinea, with dozens of Ebola cases. Within a few months, the virus managed to cross borders into neighboring countries, including Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. The American organization CDC even issued a travel advisory against visiting infected countries.

Ebola virus in America

When news of the virus outbreak first broke, the West listened cautiously, but without much concern. After all, Ebola reappeared intermittently for 30 years without causing significant damage. But when it was announced that an infected American, Dr. Kent Brantley, would be transported back to the United States, panic ensued. By spreading this nasty story, the media only made matters worse. The 33-year-old doctor was transported from Liberia on a medical plane, arriving in the US on August 2, 2014. He was taken to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, which is equipped with the most advanced equipment and air filtration systems.

If that doesn't assuage your fears, experts say that even if Ebola somehow made its way out of the hospital and took root in the population, its impact would be fairly minimal. According to epidemiologist Ian Lipkin of Columbia University, the spread of the virus in the United States is impossible due to the hygiene and treatment of the sick in the developed world. Health authorities would also quickly identify and isolate infected people.

Virus discovery

The first recorded Ebola outbreaks occurred in 1976 in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Sudan. When people began to die from a mysterious disease, William Close, personal doctor Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko, sent for a team of experts from the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Belgium. Their research focused on the village of Yambuku, where the first known case of infection was reported. The first to fall ill was Mabalo Lokelu, the principal of the village school, and the disease quickly spread to other people in the village. The Belgian team decided to name the virus "Ebola" after the nearby Ebola River.

Obviously, Ebola hit people much earlier in the past. Some historians claim that this particular virus was responsible for the Plague of Athens that struck the Mediterranean during the Peloponnesian War in 430 BC. According to the historian Tacitus, who himself contracted the disease but survived, the plague arrived in Athens from Africa. The proof is in the detailed descriptions of the disease that actually point to this virus.

Porton Down Lab Incident

Conspiracy theorists love to spin tall tales about secret government research labs where deadly biological ingredients are grown and monsters are bred. Unlike many crazy theories, this one contains a grain of truth. One such site is the Center for Applied Microbiology Research at Porton Down in England, where research on the Ebola virus was carried out. The laboratories of the 4th security category are equipped with a sterilization system for researchers and bulletproof glass, which guarantees the safety of the virus inside the walls of the laboratory. At the slightest danger, the alarm system immediately turns on. Safety regulations have been around for decades, but when Ebola first emerged in 1976, no one was sure exactly what dangers it posed. One researcher was accidentally infected at Porton Down on November 5, 1976, when he accidentally injected thumb syringe, working with laboratory animals. He fell ill a few days later, providing the scientific world with his bodily fluids and much of the original data on the virus. Fortunately, the man survived.

sexual transmission

The first 7–10 days after symptoms begin to appear is critical to the survival of Ebola patients. After this time, the patient dies, but if the body produces enough antibodies to fight off the virus, recovery is possible. Even after pure analysis blood, ebola can linger in the human body. For example, in breast milk lactating women. The virus also remains in semen for a maximum of three months, so infected men are advised to practice safe sex with condoms. The original fluid taken from the Porton Down researcher contained the virus 61 days after it was recovered. Experts say that the likelihood of transmission of the Ebola virus through sexual contact minimal. A more likely route of transmission is the African custom of washing corpses before burial.

Impact on wildlife

Viruses that quickly kill their prey naturally fill us with fear, but they are not the most insidious. Death within a few days is scary, but it's a terribly inefficient way to spread disease. Fast-acting viruses like ebola have historically burned themselves quickly and returned to the original source, while slow-acting viruses like HIV/AIDS have spread around the world.

Scientists believe that the reason reappearance Ebola consists of the persistence of the virus in the bat population of central and western Africa. Fruit bats that are asymptomatic transmit the disease to animals such as the duiker (small antelope) and also to primates. Where these animals are absent, the virus does not spread. However, in many parts of Africa and the sub-Saharan Africa there is a brisk trade in bushmeat, including bats, monkeys and rats. Thus, a single infected animal could have started the entire 2014 Ebola virus epidemic.

How does the ebola virus kill?

Although the plague appears to be contained by now, hospitals around the world are in a state of high alert for the treatment of Ebola. Unfortunately the signs early stages viruses are so common that they are often ignored or misdiagnosed. Initial signs quite like a cold or the flu: headache, exhaustion, body aches, fever, tonsillitis, etc. Usually, these symptoms do not cause concern and the need to visit the nearest emergency room.

Unfortunately, things get much worse from there. The illness is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal tract, after which the virus affects all the systemic functions of the body. The scariest moment is the part where the "hemorrhagic" element of the fever becomes apparent. going on internal bleeding, the skin becomes blistered, and blood pours from the ears and eyes. Death itself occurs due to organ failure and reduced pressure. The death rate of the 2014 outbreak has hovered at just over 60 percent since August.

Virus vaccine

In the past, outbreaks of the virus affected only limited rural areas, after which they completely died out. The 1995 Ebola outbreak awakened great concern in the West, but the development of a vaccine proved to be unprofitable for pharmaceutical companies, as there was no potential profit.

Despite the lack of potential for commercialization, the world's governments have taken the disease seriously for years, investing millions of dollars in Ebola research. Some experimental vaccines have shown good results in blocking the virus in monkeys. This vaccine was so effective that it even cured four monkeys that were already infected. But industry's lack of interest in producing a vaccine is still a major stumbling block.

Spread of the virus

The exact transmission mechanisms of Ebola are unknown. Most experts agree that the virus can only be transmitted among humans through the exchange of bodily fluids. Some argue that the virus can be spread aerobically from pigs to other species. At first glance, it seems easy to isolate oneself from such an illness by restricting the transmission of fluids.

Unfortunately, a colossal amount of fluid seeps from the body of a sick person, especially on final stages when blood can seep out of each orifice. With the fact that a single nurse often treats dozens of patients, it is not surprising that physicians often become infected with the virus themselves.

Ebola treatment

In the past, treatment for the Ebola virus was virtually non-existent. The sufferers were provided with only palliative care, including fluids and electrolytes, to keep them hydrated. They also gave ibuprofen painkillers to bring down the fever and antibiotics to moderate any other complications and keep immune system strong enough to focus on fighting the virus. The rest already depended on the person's own constitution. But the situation has changed, the American victims Kent Brantley and Nancy Riteboll decided to try out experimental medicine. Brantley initially received blood transfusions from a 14-year-old boy who had recovered from the virus. Then they were injected with serum obtained from antibodies of animals with the Ebola virus. The serum turned out to be quite effective and contributed to the improvement of the patients' condition.

An acute viral highly contagious (having a high degree of contagiousness) disease, characterized by a severe course, high mortality and the development of hemorrhagic syndrome (a tendency to skin hemorrhage and bleeding of mucous membranes).

The mortality rate (mortality) of fever reaches 90%. Ebola outbreaks occur mainly in remote villages of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.

The Ebola virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among people from person to person. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are thought to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.

The Ebola virus first appeared in 1976 simultaneously in two areas - in Nzare in Sudan and Yambuku in Congo (Zaire). In the latter case, the village was near the Ebola River, from where the disease got its name. Then 284 people fell ill in Sudan, 151 people died, 318 people fell ill in the Congo, 280 people died.

The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family, which also includes the Marburgvirus and the Lloviu cuevavirus. There are five subtypes of the Ebola virus - Bundibugyo (BDBV), Zaire (EBOV), Reston (RESTV), Sudan (SUDV), Thai Forest (TAFV). Unlike the Reston and Thai Forest species, the Bundibugyo, Zaire and Sudan species have been associated with major Ebola outbreaks in Africa. The Reston virus species found in the Philippines and China can infect humans, but no human cases or deaths have been reported.

The reservoir of the virus in nature are rodents that live near human habitation. A sick person is a danger to others. The Ebola virus is spread by person-to-person transmission through close contact through violations skin or mucous membrane. Cases of secondary and tertiary spread of infection have been noted, mainly among hospital staff. Health care workers often become infected with the Ebola virus while interacting with sick and suspected patients. The virus is isolated from patients for about three weeks. Transmission of infection through insufficiently sterilized needles and other instruments is possible.

Funeral rites, in which people present at the funeral have direct contact with the body of the deceased, may also play a role in the transmission of the virus. The disease can also be spread through contact with objects that have been contaminated by an infected person.

The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood and secretions of infected animals. In Africa, human infections have been documented from handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, bats, monkeys, antelopes and other animals found dead or sick in humid forests.

At the site of infection, no visible changes develop. The incubation period (the interval between infection and the onset of symptoms) varies from two days to 21 days.

Ebola virus disease is associated with sudden appearance fever, severe weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, renal and hepatic dysfunction and, in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Death usually occurs in the second week of illness due to bleeding and shock.
Lab tests reveal low levels whites blood cells and platelets along with high content liver enzymes.

When examining the population in endemic areas (infected), 7% were found to have antibodies to the Ebola virus, which allows us to assume the possibility of a mild and even asymptomatic course of the infection, which remain undetected.
Final Diagnosis viral infections Ebola can only be delivered under laboratory conditions through a series of various tests.

Seriously ill patients require intensive health care. They often suffer from dehydration and need intravenous administration liquids or oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes.
There is currently no cure for this disease. Patients are treated with supportive care, especially fluid replacement therapy, carefully administered under the supervision of trained health workers, which increases the chances of survival. Treatments such as kidney dialysis, blood transfusion, and plasma replacement therapy also contribute to surviving Ebola virus disease.

The virus that caused the outbreak in West Africa in 2014 belongs to the Zaire species. The current outbreak in West Africa (first reported in March 2014) is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976. Starting in Guinea, it spread across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia, by air (1 passenger) to Nigeria and ground transport(1 passenger) to Senegal.

According to WHO, 28.6 thousand people have been infected with the disease caused by the Ebola virus.

The authorities of Liberia officially declared the country free from the fever in September 2015, but in November three new cases of the virus infection were recorded. The end of the epidemic in Sierra Leone was announced on November 7, in Guinea -. The World Health Organization announced the end of the spread of Ebola in West Africa, but on January 15, WHO confirmed new case infection with a deadly virus.

March 17, 2016 WHO and the Government of Sierra Leone Ebola outbreak. June 1, according to the WHO, an outbreak of Ebola.

On June 9, 2016, according to WHO, the Ebola outbreak ended for the fourth time in Liberia, with 42 days (two incubation period for Ebola) since registration last case convalescence. turned out to be a woman who had arrived in Liberia from Guinea.

Over the past two years, biologists in different countries have developed several experimental Ebola vaccines. Tests are being carried out on vaccines and the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with National Institute US health.

In 2015 on clinical trials high efficiency The VSV-EBOV vaccine of the American pharmaceutical company MSD has shown in preventing infection with the Ebola virus. Since that time, it has been widely used in Sierra Leone to contain the outbreak of the virus. In early April 2016, the WHO announced that due to the outbreak in Guinea, doctors resorted to a strategy of blanket vaccination, when vaccination is carried out around the focus of the disease in order to create a protective layer and prevent further spread.

According to the Minister of Health of Russia Veronika Skvortsova, in December 2015, two vaccines against Ebola hemorrhagic fever were registered in Russia, both of them were produced in federal center epidemiology and microbiology named after N.F. Gamalei, tested at the preclinical stage in the institutions of the Ministry of Defense, and clinical researches were held jointly with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense. According to Skvortsova, the first vaccine is unique and has no analogues in the world, for the first time, based on the most modern biomedical technologies, two viral vectors with different vaccine structures are included. All vaccinated achieved 100% neutralization of the virus at a very low concentration of the vaccine. suitable for people with immunodeficiency, it provides activation cellular immunity more than 35 times. According to the head of Rospotrebnadzor Anna Popova, after the completion of the second stage of testing the Ebola vaccine, the drug will be received.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources