Ebola Treatment Options

Treatment Options for Ebola 

The video below is from the inside of an Ebola treatment center:

This video shows an infected U.S. healthcare worker and the reality of not having treatment options for Ebola: 

Unfortunately, there is not much to be said on this topic due to there not really being any treatment options for Ebola thus far besides symptomatic treatment. 

"There is No FDA-approved vaccine or medicine (e.g., antiviral drug) is available for Ebola. Symptoms of Ebola and complications are treated as they appear. The following basic interventions, when used early, can significantly improve the chances of survival:

• Providing intravenous fluids (IV) and balancing electrolytes (body salts).

• Maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure.

• Treating other infections if they occur.

Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness" (CDC).

Here is a link to the Center for Disease Control website article on Ebola treatment: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/treatment/index.html

As stated previously, recovery from Ebola really depends on supportive care as well as the patient’s own immune response. Although previously infected people maintain antibodies for 10 years it is not yet known if these people who recover are immune for life or if they can become infected with a different species of Ebola. "Some people who have recovered from Ebola have developed long-term complications, such as joint and vision problems" (WHO).

The main thing we can gather from all this is the need to find a plausible vaccine or treatment option to better manage this awful viral disease and try to lower the mortality rate. Many people are funding this effort as for example in the below video.

This video illuminates the work being done to try and find treatment options for Ebola with three possible options that are not quite a reality yet.

References:

1.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, April 21).  Ebola Virus Disease. Retrieved April 29, 2015 from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/706.htm#sthash.ONwAhsD4.dpuf

2.) Mayo Clinic (2014, August 6) Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus. Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ebola-virus/basics/causes/con-20031241

3.) MedShare. (2014, July 1). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.medshare.org/donate/urgent-relief/ebola-basics

4.)  UpToDate (2014, October 27).  Ebola Virus Disease. Retrieved April 9, 2015, from http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1915432

5.)  WHO (2015, April) Ebola Virus Disease. Retrieved April 14, 2015 from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/epidemiology-and-pathogenesis-of-ebola-virus-disease