For those of us Air Academy scholars that have taken part in Honors Biology, we have read The Hot Zone. Ebola is real and Ebola is dangerous. Getting infected with the virus has about a 90% probability that the next visitor knocking on your door is death. Do you like your chances?

There is an outbreak of Ebola in Africa right now. The disease popped up in forested villages in Guinea, but there wasn’t immediate diagnosis for those who were initially infected. 29 had been claimed by March 23, when the virus was discovered to be the root of the problem. Most recently, the death toll was counted to be 95 dead with 151 confirmed cases.

The symptoms of Ebola include a sudden onset of fever and intense weakness, followed by severe muscle pain, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, and internal and external bleeding. Indisputably excruciatingly gruesome, seeing victims of Ebola is frightening and understandably gave rise to growing fear in nearby villages. In Guinea, a mob attacked an Ebola treatment center, accusing it of spreading the disease rather than helping the infected.

A contribution to the quick spread of disease is the lack of doctors in Guinea. Even without doctors, the disease moves at a remarkable pace. Until now, the Ebola virus has been limited to remote places in Africa and it’s odd to see it occurring in more populated areas. Ebola was believed to be spread by an infected fruit bat that goes on to infect monkeys, pigs, apes, and in turn, humans.

Five different strains of Ebola are known to us today. The most deadly being the Zaire virus. Zaire boasts a troubling 90% death rate. There is also Ebola Sudan, which claims about half of its victims. Taï Forest Ebola was found in dead chimpanzees and has only infected two humans, both people survived. Another strain is Ebola Reston. Reston causes infection in primates but has not yet infected any humans. Reston is most known to Americans from the Texas outbreak in quarantined non human primates. Ebola Bundibugyo was discovered in 2007 near the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bundibugyo seems to only cause death in 25% of cases.

Ebola is a filovirus that comes in five varities, each one achieving relatively the same deadly results as the next. The Ebola virus is highly effective as it makes holes in blood vessels, which leads to bleeding and shock. Endothelial cells are attacked by Ebola, which make up the lining of blood vessels and various other partitions in the body. It’s not fully understood how a filovirus replicates; it is only known that they replicate at a rapid pace and before the host’s body can counter-attack. Another efficient tactic that Ebola utilizes is preventing people’s bodies from producing antibodies and T cells that can fight the virus. There is currently no cure for Ebola, so the prevention of spread is the best way to contain outbreaks.

So far, it is unclear how the virus can make the jump from natural hosts to a human body. The most common reason for spread among humans is close contact with the infected. Thus far, the reuse of syringes, needles, and other contaminated equipment has proved to be a leading cause of spread for Ebola.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 June 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.

“WHO Supplies Arrive in Guinea to Support the Ebola Outbreak Response.” WHO. World Health Organization, Apr. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

McCoy, Terrence. “The African Ebola Outbreak That Keeps Getting Worse.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 Apr. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.