Infectious Disease – Part 2: Outbreaks – Ebola and Zika Virus

Posted on September 12, 2017

OUTBREAKS in FOCUS – Ebola and Zika

In 2014, West Africa experienced the largest outbreak of Ebola virus in known history. Over a
two year period, this severe and rapidly fatal disease claimed the lives of over 11,300 people,
including over 500 health workers.

The international community was not prepared for such an outbreak. As a result, health services struggled to contain the epidemic, which spread to six countries (Liberia, Mali, Guinea. Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal).

The outbreak (and the world’s slow response to it), highlighted the need for better international public health policies and a more sophisticated disaster response, globally.

This week, we are putting the focus on Ebola, and have curated resources to help you better understand this deadly virus. and it’s impact on West Africa.

We also touch on Zika Virus, a vector borne virus linked to neurological syndromes like Guillian-Barré and microcephaly. This disease was first identified in 1947, but caused international concern in 2015 when an outbreak occurred in Brazil.

Intrigued? Check out the links for fact sheets, fascinating accounts from health workers at the front line, and insights into what the world has learned from such a devastating epidemics.

First though, have you ever wondered where it all begins?

Podcast: RadioLab -Patient Zero Updated, Season 13 Episode 3

How do you find the Patient Zero in an outbreak? What information does that give us in our bid to control a disease outbreak? Explore the concept and implications with this podcast, that discusses the iconic case of Typhoid Mary, the controversial origins of HIV, and the recent emergence of Ebola in West Africa.The extras section goes into more detail about Ebola’s patient zero.

http://www.radiolab.org/story/patient-zero-updated

http://www.radiolab.org/story/patient-zero-extra-ebola/

EBOLA

Fast Facts

KILLER DISEASES | How the Body Reacts to Ebola

EBOLA | Looking Back on the Deadliest Outbreak in History

Bill Gates: The next outbreak? We’re not ready

Tech genius and philanthropist Bill Gates talks about how we should be using technology to better equip ourselves for the next deadly outbreak.

 

Interactive Map of Ebola Outbreak – Frontline

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/map-how-the-ebola-outbreak-spread-through-africa/

Longer Listen

Documentary – Outbreak -Frontline PBS documentary (2015) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/outbreak/

Documentary – Affliction – MSF Ebola documentary – See trailer at http://afflictionfilm.com/

Everyday Emergency: The Medicins San Frontieres (MSF) Podcast

Disclaimer

This series can be pretty confronting and heart breaking at times. If you’re feeling a bit vulnerable or overwhelmed, put it on your list for another day.

Vision Recommended Episodes

S1 E9: I Had to Turn People Away from the World’s Largest Ebola Centre by Everyday Emergency

Anthropologist and health promoter Pierre Trbovic travelled to Liberia to assist MSF in the fight against Ebola. In August 2014, the crisis in Liberia hit it’s peak and services were quickly overwhelmed. Here, Pierre speaks about  his most difficult role; turning suffering patients away from the Ebola management centre in Monrovia, Liberia.

ZIKA 

Zika is a disease spread by the Aedes mosquito, found in many tropical counties. Although the symptoms of Zika are usually mild and require no specific treatment, the world became fascinated by this disease in 2015, when it was concluded that Zika virus during pregnancy could cause unborn children to develop severe congenital brain disorders.

Since then, evidence has emerged that Zika may also be sexually transmitted and can cause neurological disease in adults too.

Read on for the latest information on this disease as well as the fascinating science behind the attempts to control it.

Fast Facts

WHO Factfile – http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/

WHO- Historical Distribution Map of Zika Virus – Click on the image below to enlarge.

Talks

BMJ Talk Medicine- Zika Virus- “It really felt like having bad sunburn, all over your body”

Available at https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/zika-virus

TedTalk – Nina Fedoroff –“A Secret weapon against Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases”

Available at http://bit.ly/2qAoiTb