Ebola risk factors
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Michael Maddaleni, B.S.;Guillermo Rodriguez Nava, M.D. [2]
Overview
Ebola virus is primary transmitted through direct contact or contact with objects (i.e. needles) that have been contaminated with the blood and/or secretions of an infected person or also contact with and infected animal (wild or lab animals), so the main risk factors are traveling to endemic areas, health professionals taking care of infected patients and researches working with animal models.[1]
Risk Factors
Persons at an increased risk for Ebola include:
- If you have traveled to an area of the world where Ebola occurs frequently (such as Central Africa).
- Hospital staff/caregivers for patients with Ebola.
Bioterrorism
A major 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.
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[2] and a select agent by the 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.[3]
References
- ↑ "Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Information Packet" (PDF).
- ↑ 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
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