Ebola virus

Question 1

what was the timeline of the response of ebola ? 7

Answer 1

1. immunization- no vaccine available
2. treatment- lab confirmed cases –>clinics–>passive immunity with serum
3. behavior modification- proper handling of the dead
4. Investigation & monitoring-surveillance, contact investigation and screening
5. social distancing - isolation of ill, quarantine of exposed, & limit exposure of dead bodies at funerals
6. Environmental controls-cleaning contaminated surfaces
7. the use of PPE

Question 2

List 4 types of information you would want to collect from the people being interviewed to inform public health activities.

Answer 2

1. name
2. travel details- date went and came back, where, reason for travel
3. did you work and visit an ebola patient?
4. persons home address

Question 3

what is the etiologic agent for ebola ?

Answer 3

filoviridae family of hemorrhagic fevers.

the reason for blood in eyes and bleeding

Question 4

can ebola be spread by animals ?

Answer 4

yes, it is a zoonatic disease

ex. fruits bats and primates

Question 5

what are Symptoms of Ebola?

Answer 5

fever, headache, diarrhea, weakness, fatigue, vomiting, stomach pain, Hemorrhage .

Question 6

what is ebola’s incubation period?

Answer 6

Ranges 2- 21 days

Avg. 8-10 days

Question 7

does fever occur before or after the onset of diarrhea and vomiting ?

Answer 7

BEFORE

Question 8

Can a person get Ebola if they dont have any symptoms by day 21?

Answer 8

NO- won’t become a case

Question 9

what is Ebola transmitted?

Answer 9

DIRECTLY by broken skin or mucus membranes) with:
blood
contaminated objects 
infected fruit bats or primates
semen from man who has recovered 
body fluids of infected after death

Question 10

is the latency period longer than the incubation period ?

Answer 10

YES

Fever is before infectiousness

Question 11

what is the infectiousness determined by ?

Answer 11

by viral load

increases drastically over the course of disease

It is diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding that cause virus to shed = resulting in infectiousness

Question 12

after onset of symptoms, which day is the viral load the highest ?

Answer 12

starting at day 5, goes down after day 9

Question 13

what are the 3 types of monitoring ?

Answer 13

1. self
2. active
3. direct active

Question 14

explain the least restrictive means necessary

Answer 14

basic principle of social distancing that measures taken should be the least restrictive necessary to achieve control the spread of disease

Question 15

Should patients in isolation and quarantine be kept in the same location?

Answer 15

no, because those who are isolatedd can infect those that are quarantined due to a possible infection