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== Bioterrorism ==
== Bioterrorism ==
A potential risk associated with Ebola is the ability to have it weaponized. Ebola does not have a vaccine associated with it, therefore it would be a good candidate for a major biological attack.
A potential risk associated with the Ebola virus is bioterrorism. Ebola does not have a vaccine, therefore it would be a good candidate for a major bioterrorist attack. Given the fact that Ebola is lethal and has no approved [[vaccine]] or treatment, it is classified as a [[Biosafety Level 4]] agent, as well as a Category A [[bioterrorism]] agent<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hoenen |first=Thomas |authorlink= |coauthors=''et al.'' |year=2006 |month= |title=Ebola virus: unravelling pathogenesis to combat a deadly disease |journal=Trends in Molecular Medicine |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=206-215 |doi=10.1016/j.molmed.2006.03.006 |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}</ref> and a [[select agent]] by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]].
 
Because Ebola is lethal and since no approved [[vaccine]] or treatment is available, Ebola is classified as a [[Biosafety Level 4]] agent, as well as a Category A [[bioterrorism]] agent<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hoenen |first=Thomas |authorlink= |coauthors=''et al.'' |year=2006 |month= |title=Ebola virus: unravelling pathogenesis to combat a deadly disease |journal=Trends in Molecular Medicine |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=206-215 |doi=10.1016/j.molmed.2006.03.006 |url= |accessdate= |quote= }}</ref> and a [[select agent]] by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]].
 
Ebola shows potential as a biological weapon because of its lethality but due to its relatively short incubation period it may be more difficult to spread since it may kill its victim before it has a chance to be transmitted, meaning that it would be hard to spread amongst small populations. However, if an outbreak occurred in a city the effects would likely be devastating.
 
As a terrorist weapon, Ebola has been considered by members of [[Japan]]'s [[Aum Shinrikyo]] [[cult]], whose leader, [[Shoko Asahara]] led about 40 members to Zaire in 1992 under the guise of offering medical aid to Ebola victims in what was presumably an attempt to acquire a sample of the virus.<ref>{{cite paper |last= |first= |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Chronology of Aum Shinrikyo's CBW Activities |version= |publisher=Monterey Institute for International Studies |date= |url=http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/pdfs/aum_chrn.pdf |format= |id= |accessdate= }}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:58, 15 October 2014

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Michael Maddaleni, B.S., Guillermo Rodriguez Nava, M.D. [2]

Overview

The Ebola virus was named after the Ebola River Valley in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaïre), near the site of a 1976 outbreak at a mission run by Flemish nuns.[1] Since the initial discovery of the virus, five subtypes have subsequently been identified.

Historical Perspective

Discovery

The illness is characterized with a high temperature of about 39°C, hematemesis [the vomiting of blood], diarrhea with blood, retrosternal abdominal pain, prostration with "heavy" articulations, and rapid evolution death after a mean of three days...
  • The virus was named after the Ebola river located in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
  • The first outbreaks occurred almost simultaneously in Sudan between June and November 1976, due the so-called Sudan ebolavirus, and in Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) between August and November 1976 due the so-called Ebola Zaire.
  • The table below summarizes the ebola virus strains identified until now:
Ebola Virus Strain Place of Discovery Date Identified
Sudan ebolavirus Nzara and Maridi, Sudan Between June and November 1976
Zaire ebolavirus Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo Between August and November 1976
Reston ebolavirus Reston, Virginia, US. November 1989
Ivory Coast ebolavirus Tai Forest, Ivory Coast. November 1994
Bundibugyo ebolavirus Bundibugyo District, Uganda November 2007

Notable Cases

  • Nurse Mayinga N'Seka was the index case in an Ebola epidemic in Democratic Republic of the Congo and may represent the only case of airborne ebola virus infection.
  • The non-fatal case of a Swiss 34-year-old female ethologist, in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, was due to an infection by what was later recognized as a new strain of ebola virus after she performed a necropsy on a chimpanzee found dead with signs of hemorrhage.[2]

Bioterrorism

A potential risk associated with the Ebola virus is bioterrorism. Ebola does not have a vaccine, therefore it would be a good candidate for a major bioterrorist attack. Given the fact that Ebola is lethal and has no approved vaccine or treatment, it is classified as a Biosafety Level 4 agent, as well as a Category A bioterrorism agent[3] and a select agent by the CDC.

References

  1. Bardi, Jason Socrates (2002). "Death Called a River". Scribbs Research Institute. 2 (1). Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  2. Formenty P, Hatz C, Le Guenno B, Stoll A, Rogenmoser P, Widmer A (1999). "Human infection due to Ebola virus, subtype Côte d'Ivoire: clinical and biologic presentation". J Infect Dis. 179 Suppl 1: S48–53. doi:10.1086/514285. PMID 9988164.
  3. Hoenen, Thomas (2006). "Ebola virus: unravelling pathogenesis to combat a deadly disease". Trends in Molecular Medicine. 12 (5): 206–215. doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2006.03.006. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (help)