The first Ebola epidemic was in West Africa in 2014. The countries hit hardest by the virus as well as the rest of the world was at a loss as to how to control the disease and minimize the number of people infected. Since the epidemic, scientists have been able to create a number of treatment drugs to help minimize the morbidity rate and help control the next outbreak. There currently is not an established treatment drug or vaccine for Ebola, but there are a number of different options in the testing phase.
There are four different strain of Ebola that are pathogenic to humans. These four strains include Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Zaire ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus (National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious …show more content…
While this option is still experimental, tests are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of blood transfusions for Ebola patients.
Melatonin has been proposed as another possible treatment option for Ebola based on the ways in which Ebola impacts the immune system. Ebola disables the immune system by
“infecting dendritic cells…increasing natural killer (NK) cell activity…disabling the presentation of infectious substances to the immune system” (Anderson et al., 2015). Scientists believe melatonin will be effective in fighting Ebola because it “is a powerful immune regulator, increasing the generally beneficial Th1 cells and IFNg response, as well as the cytotoxicity of NK cells” (Anderson et al., 2015). If melatonin does prove to be an appropriate treatment option for Ebola, it will provide a cheap and readily available option for infected individuals.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa proved to the world just how little is known about the Ebola virus and how it attacks the body. While the spread of the disease has significantly slowed down in the last six months, the fact remains that thousands of people in
West Africa died as a result of Ebola. The countries that were hit hardest by the disease did …show more content…
(2014, November 5). Immunotherapy Weekly, 5.
Henao-Restrepo A. M., Longini, I. M, Egger M., Dean N. E., Edmunds W. J., Camacho A.,
…Røttingen J. Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV- vectored vaccine expressing Ebola surface glycoprotein: Interim results from the Guinea ring vaccination cluster- randomised trial. (2015). The Lancet, 386(9996), 857.
Hersey, S., Martel, L. D., Jambai, A., Keita, S., Yoti, Z., Meyer, E., & ... Arnold, K. E. (2015). Ebola
Virus Disease--Sierra Leone and Guinea, August 2015. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality
Weekly Report, 64(35), 981-984 4p. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6435a6
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (U.S.). Division of High-
Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, I. B. (2014). Ebola. Atlanta, Georgia: National
Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence
Pathogens and Pathology, Department of Health & Human Services, CDC.
Qiu, X., Fernando, L., Alimonti, J. B., Aviles, J., Wong, G., Audet, J., & ... Whaley, K. (2014).
5
Reversion of advanced Ebola virus disease in nonhuman primates with
ZMapp. Nature, 514(7520), 47-53. doi:10.1038/nature13777
Wong, G., & Kobinger, G. P. (2015). Backs against the Wall: Novel and Existing Strategies
There are four different strain of Ebola that are pathogenic to humans. These four strains include Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Zaire ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus (National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious …show more content…
While this option is still experimental, tests are currently underway to determine the effectiveness of blood transfusions for Ebola patients.
Melatonin has been proposed as another possible treatment option for Ebola based on the ways in which Ebola impacts the immune system. Ebola disables the immune system by
“infecting dendritic cells…increasing natural killer (NK) cell activity…disabling the presentation of infectious substances to the immune system” (Anderson et al., 2015). Scientists believe melatonin will be effective in fighting Ebola because it “is a powerful immune regulator, increasing the generally beneficial Th1 cells and IFNg response, as well as the cytotoxicity of NK cells” (Anderson et al., 2015). If melatonin does prove to be an appropriate treatment option for Ebola, it will provide a cheap and readily available option for infected individuals.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa proved to the world just how little is known about the Ebola virus and how it attacks the body. While the spread of the disease has significantly slowed down in the last six months, the fact remains that thousands of people in
West Africa died as a result of Ebola. The countries that were hit hardest by the disease did …show more content…
(2014, November 5). Immunotherapy Weekly, 5.
Henao-Restrepo A. M., Longini, I. M, Egger M., Dean N. E., Edmunds W. J., Camacho A.,
…Røttingen J. Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV- vectored vaccine expressing Ebola surface glycoprotein: Interim results from the Guinea ring vaccination cluster- randomised trial. (2015). The Lancet, 386(9996), 857.
Hersey, S., Martel, L. D., Jambai, A., Keita, S., Yoti, Z., Meyer, E., & ... Arnold, K. E. (2015). Ebola
Virus Disease--Sierra Leone and Guinea, August 2015. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality
Weekly Report, 64(35), 981-984 4p. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6435a6
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (U.S.). Division of High-
Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, I. B. (2014). Ebola. Atlanta, Georgia: National
Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of High-Consequence
Pathogens and Pathology, Department of Health & Human Services, CDC.
Qiu, X., Fernando, L., Alimonti, J. B., Aviles, J., Wong, G., Audet, J., & ... Whaley, K. (2014).
5
Reversion of advanced Ebola virus disease in nonhuman primates with
ZMapp. Nature, 514(7520), 47-53. doi:10.1038/nature13777
Wong, G., & Kobinger, G. P. (2015). Backs against the Wall: Novel and Existing Strategies