Ebola Facts and Recommendations

The mention of a relatively newly discovered virus strikes fear in the hearts of many. This virus causes hemorrhagic fever and death in up to 90% 0f cases, mostly in Africa. We hear the name Ebola and its diagnosis is like a death sentence that can spread everywhere without knowing it.

In June 1976, the first known case of Ebola virus was found in Sudan, Africa. The Sudan outbreak infected 284 people and killed 151. However, the cause of this illness was unknown until it caused an outbreak in Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo) a few months later. There were 318 cases and 280 deaths near the Ebola River, from which we derive its name.

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Where did Ebola come from?

Viral hemorrhagic fevers, such as those with Ebola, are nothing new. Marburg’s disease first occurred in 1967, while the Ebola fever appeared in 1976.

Ebola has infected other mammals; the entire genome of the virus has been found in pigs. But testing in outbreak areas found no carriers except bats. The most likely reservoir to date is four species of bats, such as the fruit bat. While no known case of direct transmission from bats to humans is known, the population eats bats in the epidemic area. Handling bat meat could potentially initiate an outbreak of this illness.

Could Ebola be a Bio-Weapon?

The use of infectious diseases to destroy enemies has been around since before Alexander the Great used putrefying carcasses to conquer the known world in 330 BC. They didn’t know exactly what caused the diseases, but they knew their enemies would get sick and die.

The Americas had little resistance to disease brought over by the European explorers. Smallpox, measles and polio killed and dwindled the Native American Indians population. Thus, a disrupted society made it easy for settlers to conquer the Americas.[1]

Ebola sounds like it would be a great weapon since it’s so deadly, can spread rapidly, and has no cure. However, it has some characteristics that make it a poor choice as a bio-weapon:

It doesn’t last long in the environment.
Victims aren’t contagious until they get symptoms.
It isn’t easily spread to non-intimate contacts.
People who have Ebola die quickly so they can’t continue to spread it.
It is easy to control the spread of disease with good hygiene.
Once there are no cases of illness, the disease is gone from the population.
There is no non-human host or reservoir to spread disease.

While we hear about hundreds, or even thousands, of Ebola infections and deaths, we must also remember this is happening in an area where there are few resources for infection control. Even then, it only affects around 0.2% of the population. While it is a fearsome disease, it is not a good bio-weapon.

How is Ebola Diagnosed?

The CDC web site on Ebola indicates the most current diagnostic criteria:

“Diagnosing Ebola in a person who has been infected for only a few days is difficult, because the early symptoms, such as fever, are nonspecific to Ebola infection and are seen often in patients with more commonly occurring diseases, such as malaria and typhoid fever.”[2]

A person with early symptoms of Ebola who has had any potential contact with the disease should be isolated and tested to confirm infection.

Tests that are used to detect the presence of the virus include

Looking for antibodies made by the host
Looking for the DNA of the virus
Or actually isolating virus particles

Area resources determine which test to use. The antibody test is the quickest, but it is also the least reliable.

What are the Characteristic Symptoms of Ebola?

The symptoms of Ebola begin 2 to 20 days from the date of infection. Early signs and symptoms include:

Fever
Headache
Joint pains
Muscle aches
Chills
Weakness

Over days, as the symptoms increase a victim may have some or all of the following:

Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
Red eyes
Raised rash
Chest pain
Cough
Stomach pain
Weight loss
Dehydration
Bleeding from the eyes, and any body orifice
Bruising
Internal bleeding[3]

How Can we Prevent Ebola?

Where the major Ebola outbreak occurred in Liberia, the Firestone rubber tree plantation has a hospital that cares for about 80,000 people. After the first case of Ebola in March 2014, the company instituted an infection control program. It included community and health care worker education, voluntary quarantine, and a special Ebola unit in the hospital. Because of the company’s response strategies, their rate of infection was less than half of the rate of the population in the area.[4]

To become infected, there needs to be close contact. But, transmission doesn’t always happen with close contact. The index case of the Firestone hospital, for example, was a woman who was caring for a relative with Ebola in a different city. When they discovered she had it, she went to the Ebola unit in the hospital and her family went into quarantine. Neither her husband nor her three children contracted the disease. Unfortunately, she died.[5] From this we learn that good infection control measures stop the spread of disease.

The virus is found in all body fluids, including:

Blood
Urine
Feces
Tears
Sweat
Semen
And saliva

Contact must be made with infected tissue, such as a mucous membrane or an open wound. Since no trace of the virus has been found in saliva droplets from coughing or sneezing, it is unlikely that the virus can be contracted via airborne particles.

However, Ebola can survive for several hours on dried surfaces such as doorknobs and countertops. The virus in body fluids (such as blood), on the other hand, can survive up to several days at room temperature.[6]

Because of these characteristics, the best preventative measures include isolation. Once there are no more cases of the illness, it can no longer spread. It is only contagious when a person has symptoms, or by handling the body fluids of victims (dead or alive).

Who Survives Ebola?

The death rate from Ebola is anywhere from 50-90%, depending on the health of the population in general, and the availability of treatment facilities such as special Ebola units.[7] Evaluation of survivors indicates that those who have stronger immune systems are the ones that survive the illness.

The virus destroys cells of the immune system, including CD4 (the same cells attacked by HIV) and CD8, which prevent a response to illness. Having an intact and strong immune system allows people to mount a response to the virus before it destroys these cells. Unlike HIV, when a person survives Ebola, they are immune to that strain and no longer carry the virus, so they are not contagious.

Starting treatment once a person has symptoms improves survival. Since the time from the start of symptoms to death is short, supportive care needs to start right away. This is done by preventing or treating secondary infections and by supporting the blood volume. Since the virus causes internal and external hemorrhaging, as well as inflammation that open blood vessels, the cause of death is usually vascular collapse or shock. So, victims often require IV fluids. Also, it is important to stop inflammation, bleeding, and diarrhea with affective treatments. Even with the best treatment, however, there is still a 50% death rate.

How can I Improve my Immune System?

If you aren’t traveling to an endemic area, and you aren’t a health care worker who takes care of Ebola patients, then your chances of contracting Ebola are almost none. However, knowing what to do generally can help you keep calm when everyone else is afraid.

Preparation prevents fear. The best prevention of Ebola is to avoid it. Being thousands of miles away from an epidemic is important! But it is also a good idea to take care of your immune system to increase your ability to ward off any infection, as well as prevent autoimmune disease and cancer.

Building the immune system has several requirements, including intestinal repair, exercise, and stress reduction. The part of the immune system that distinguishes between self and non-self is primarily trained in the intestines. When there is inflammation in the bowels, the immune system is not trained properly and can have a hard time knowing which team it is on. General immune system health includes:

Physical activity helps us to regulate hormones that control the immune system.
Getting adequate nutrition is essential because the immune system is the first to shut down when there is a deficiency.
Also, our mental state has a large effect on immune function.
Stress hormones also suppress the immune response. While we cannot avoid stress, we can control the stress hormones with exercise, diet, and good mental health.

Recommendations for a Strong Immune System:

Eat organic, whole foods only. Especially include lots of raw foods.
Avoid processed foods, especially sugar.
Exercise to sweat three days per week.
Meditate daily, write in a journal or diary, pray.
Take time to pursue your favorite art or hobby.
Love others. Forgive everyone of everything in the past.

Supplements may also be helpful, especially for those who are deficient. I test hundreds of people and find a few common deficiencies that may affect the immune system including vitamin D, zinc, selenium, and iodine. The following is a general recommendation to keep your levels normal:

Vitamin D3: 50,000 IU per week.
Zinc: 50 mg per day for 90 days, then one per week.
Selenium: 200 mcg per day for 90 days, then one per week.
Iodine: 12.5 mg per day for 90 days, then one per week.

While Ebola is a fearsome disease, and the news loves to make us feel the fear, it is not unstoppable. Good infection control measures will stop an epidemic quickly and prevent the spread of disease. For this, we rely heavily on governments and health care workers to be on the front lines and stop it in its tracks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated five airports through which everyone coming into the country from the epidemic areas of Africa must travel, where potential carriers can be screened appropriately. This is a good start to preventing the spread of infection into the United States.

We can also do our personal part by avoiding contact with infected persons or materials, and keeping our immune system in good working order.