Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease, but it's rare and nearly
all the cases of the most recent outbreak in
West Africa have been from human to human transmission through contact with either the infected person's bodily fluids or with items, such as bedding, that have been contaminated with those fluids.
The incubation period is between two and 21 days and patients aren't infectious until symptoms develop; however, patients can remain contagious for as many as seven weeks following recovery.
The disease was first identified in 1976 and prior to this latest outbreak in Africa, outbreaks have been relatively small and contained. The current outbreak, however, is the biggest one on record and accounts for more deaths than all previous Ebola outbreaks combined.
The World Health Organization estimates that 6,500 people have contracted Ebola and more than 3,000 people have died since March in several West African countries, including Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria.
Currently, there aren't any drugs with regulatory approval for treating Ebola, so most of the assistance provided to patients includes palliative care such as rehydration and treating the symptoms of the disease.
Medical experts believe it was just a matter of time before Ebola made its way across the Atlantic to America. The first case in the U.S. was confirmed last week, and it's possible that there will be more cases in the future.
But while that prospect may seem frightening, Ebola isn't spread easily and a slate of emerging biotech companies, like Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: TKMR ) and Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT ) , as well as large drugmakers, including GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) , are hard at work developing new therapies that target the tough to treat disease.
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SOURCE: fool.com
West Africa have been from human to human transmission through contact with either the infected person's bodily fluids or with items, such as bedding, that have been contaminated with those fluids.
The incubation period is between two and 21 days and patients aren't infectious until symptoms develop; however, patients can remain contagious for as many as seven weeks following recovery.
The disease was first identified in 1976 and prior to this latest outbreak in Africa, outbreaks have been relatively small and contained. The current outbreak, however, is the biggest one on record and accounts for more deaths than all previous Ebola outbreaks combined.
The World Health Organization estimates that 6,500 people have contracted Ebola and more than 3,000 people have died since March in several West African countries, including Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria.
Currently, there aren't any drugs with regulatory approval for treating Ebola, so most of the assistance provided to patients includes palliative care such as rehydration and treating the symptoms of the disease.
Medical experts believe it was just a matter of time before Ebola made its way across the Atlantic to America. The first case in the U.S. was confirmed last week, and it's possible that there will be more cases in the future.
But while that prospect may seem frightening, Ebola isn't spread easily and a slate of emerging biotech companies, like Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: TKMR ) and Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRPT ) , as well as large drugmakers, including GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK ) , are hard at work developing new therapies that target the tough to treat disease.
CONTINUE READING
SOURCE: fool.com
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