Church Partnership Newsletter November 2014 | Page 5

The Ebola Virus
Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is
a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one
of the Ebola virus strains. The 2014 Ebola outbreak is
the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in
West Africa. In October, 2014, the first U.S. case of
Ebola was confirmed in Dallas, Texas. Although the risk
of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. is very low, public
health and many partners are taking precautions to
prevent this from happening.

at risk. Someone who meets these risk factors and has
symptoms should call 911 for help right away and stay
away from other people.

How Infection Happens
Ebola viruses are transmitted
through direct contact with
blood or body fluids of
someone who has
symptoms. In the U.S., Ebola
is not spread through the air,
by water, mosquitos or food.
Direct contact means that
body fluids (blood, saliva,
mucus, sweat, vomit, urine,
or feces) from an infected
person (alive or dead) have
touched someone’s eyes,
nose, mouth, an open cut, wound, or abrasion. Ebola
only spreads when people are sick with symptoms.

Timely treatment is
important, but
challenging since the
disease is difficult to
diagnose in the early
stages of infection.
However, if a person has
the early symptoms of
Ebola, and there is reason
to believe that Ebola
should be considered, the
patient should be isolated
and public health
professionals notified. Supportive therapy can continue
with proper protective clothing until samples from the
patient are tested to confirm infection. Experimental
treatment has been tested and proven effective in
animals, but has not been used in humans.

Symptoms
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days
after exposure to Ebola, though 8 – 10 days are most
common. Early symptoms include fever, headache,
weakness, joint and muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. Some patients
may experience a rash, red eyes, hiccups, cough, sore
throat, chest pains, difficulty breathing and swallowing,
and unexplained bleeding.

Treatment
Standard treatment for Ebola is still limited to
supportive therapy: balancing the patient's fluids and
electrolytes, maintaining their oxygen status and blood
pressure, as well as treating patients for any
complicating infections.

Some who become sick with Ebola are able to recover,
while others do not. The reasons behind this are not
fully understood. However, it is know that patients who
die usually have not developed a significant immune
response to the virus at the time of death.

What Columbus is Doing?
Knowing the possibility of Ebola cases exists, medical
and public health professionals in Columbus have been
putting plans into place. Columbus Public Health (CPH)
has been meeting with local public health partners,
Franklin County Public Health, Ohio Department of
Health, response partners, and healthcare systems.
Local public health also has a system to monitor, track,
investigate, and control infectious diseases and
outbreaks, a core public health function. CPH and its
partners will continue to monitor the situation and
share needed information with the public.

Who is At Risk?
Only people who have traveled to Guinea, Liberia, or
Sierra Leone or have had close contact with a person
known or suspected to have Ebola are considered to be