With all the media attention being given to the Ebola virus lately we’re all familiar with how serious this virus can be. It is fast moving and death can result within two weeks or even less. Since this is a serious concern that is on the minds of many currently, here’s some information that may help set your mind at ease.
The current strain of Ebola, Ebola Zaire, that is being so widely talked about in the media with the outbreak in West Africa and some cases being brought over to the United States, is the largest known outbreak according to the World Health Organization. There have already been over 4900 deaths reported from this outbreak. The bad news of course is how deadly this virus can be and how fast it can spread. The good news is that it is not really that easy to catch. According to Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Pittsburgh, you are more likely to catch a cold or flu than Ebola. This is because Ebola is spread by coming into close contact with skin and bodily fluids of an infected animal or person. A person is also only contagious after they show symptoms. A person may actually have the virus, but not show symptoms for as long as 3 weeks.
Ebola is a virus that once it enters the body, it attaches to and invades body cells, replicates and makes the cell explode. This sends particles infected with the virus all over the body, overwhelming the immune system and traveling to various organs and tissues throughout the body attacking them. All these cells exploding sets off an inflammatory response that creates the symptoms similar to flu symptoms which are the first signs of Ebola including a high fever, achy muscles, headache, sore throat, and general fatigue and weakness. Ebola then starts the body into abnormal bleeding and clotting both at the same time in blood vessels and internal bleeding as well as bleeding from the nose, ears and eyes results. At this stage there are also symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and the kidneys and liver begin to fail. This loss of blood and organ failure are what often lead to death.
Treatment of Ebola
There is no real treatment for the Ebola virus. Blood transfusions, I-V fluids, medication to stabilize blood pressure and ventilators can be used to keep organs working and replace blood loss and according to Stephanie Monroe, deputy director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC, catching the virus early and applying medical interventions has been effective at reducing the death rate in West Africa. ZMapp has been reported as successful in treating the virus in monkeys and has been used on humans, but it is still considered experimental and more data is needed before determining if it is truly a successful treatment. There has also been research done by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with cyanovirin-N (CV-N), which is an antiviral protein indicating that mice subjected to HIV and Ebola were benefitted and lived longer. This works by CV-N attaching to the virus and blocking it from entering body cells. Interestingly, CV-N comes from cyanobacterium which is also known as blue-green algae.
More Likely Viruses to Catch This Winter
Colds and flus are both viruses and it is much more likely that you will encounter one of these type of viruses this winter instead of Ebola. Our bodies are under more stress in the winter going from cold temperatures outside to heated buildings, we are in closer contact with people in these warm buildings for longer periods which makes the spreading of germs more likely and these types of viruses are more rampant and potent during colder weather. These types of stresses can negatively affect our immune system and leave us more susceptible to colds and flus. Supporting the immune system allows it to help fight off these type of viruses. That means getting extra rest to allow immune cells to regenerate, drinking extra water to flush these viruses out of your system, washing hands to keep germs off skin, eating lots of fruits and vegetables with antioxidants and avoiding sugar-filled and processed foods, and supporting digestive system health with probiotics such as acidophilus and bifidus. You might also consider supplementing your diet with this immune system support supplement that gives you a blend of reishi, cordyceps, maitake, shiitake, Turkey Tail, and Agaricus blazei mushrooms with astragalus, beta glucan and wild organic AFA bluegreen algae. Mushrooms such as cordyceps, reishi, and maitake, are a rich source of proteins and antioxidants. Shiitake and reishi mushrooms in particular have been found to stimulate macrophages which are a type of white blood cell that attack foreign invaders in the body. Beta Glucan derived from baker’s yeast also has the ability to bind and stimulate macrophages.
I continue to pray for those in this country and in West Africa that are dealing with the terrible Ebola virus and its symptoms and hope this article gives you some peace of mind and some ideas on how to stay healthy this winter.
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