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The Democratic Republic of Congo officially declared on December 16, 2021 the end of the 13th outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease which had resurfaced on October 8, 2021, in Beni in North Kivu province. What is Ebola Virus Disease? What causes it? Let's find out.

Deadly viral fever

Ebola is a life-threatening disease caused by a virus belonging to the family Filoviridae The viral haemorrhagic fever was first identified in central Africa in 1976. The 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa was the largest Ebola outbreak ever since the virus was discovered, leading to over 11,000 deaths. The disease was named after the Ebola River in Congo, formerly Zaire, where it was originally identified.

Ebola is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads from animals to humans. The virus which badly affects the immune system as it spreads through the body is transmitted to people from animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys. It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. It spreads among humans through contact with the bodily fluids (blood, faeces, urine, vomit, or semen) of infected people. Ebola is called a haemorrhagic fever virus as it causes problems with how our blood dots leading to internal bleeding.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of Ebola Viral Disease include fever fatigue, sore throat severe headache, muscle and joint pain loss of appetite, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea. The virus can be detected in blood within a few days of the manifestation of symptoms. Immediate medical attention, early intervention with rehydration, and symptomatic treatment are said to improve chances of survival.

There are vaccines for protection against Ebola. These anti-Ebola jabs have been administered to help control the spread of Ebola outbreaks in Congo.

Picture Credit : Google

People who have recovered from mild corona virus infections produce antibodies that target three different parts of the virus's spike protein that it uses to latch on to human cells

• A National Institutes of Health-funded study, published recently in the journal Science, offers the most detailed picture yet of the array of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 found in people who've fully recovered from mild cases of corona virus.
• Most studies of natural antibodies that block corona virus have focussed on those that target a specific portion of the spike protein known as the receptor-binding domain (RBD). The RBD is the portion of the spike that attaches directly to human cells. As a result, antibodies explicitly targeting the RBD are an excellent place to begin searching for antibodies capable of fighting the virus.
• However, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin found that most antibodies target other portions of the spike protein than the RBD. The study led by Gregory Ippolito and Jason Lavinder, likens the spike protein to an umbrella, with the RBD at the tip of the "canopy." While some antibodies bind to the RBD, many others target the protein's canopy, known as the N-terminal domain (NTD).
• The team also found that about 40 % of antibodies target yet another portion of the spike called the S2 subunit. Additionally, the S2 subunit could make an ideal target for a possible pan-corona virus vaccine since fewer mutations exist at this portion of the spike.
• The study will prove helpful in designing vaccine booster shots or future vaccines tailored to fight coronavirus variants of concern.

Picture Credit : Google