Click to Translate to English Click to Translate to French  Click to Translate to Spanish  Click to Translate to German  Click to Translate to Italian  Click to Translate to Japanese  Click to Translate to Chinese Simplified  Click to Translate to Korean  Click to Translate to Arabic  Click to Translate to Russian  Click to Translate to Portuguese  Click to Translate to Myanmar (Burmese)

PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL
123456
Forum Home Forum Home > Main Forums > Latest News
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - 'post-Ebola syndrome' among survivors in West Afri
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

'post-Ebola syndrome' among survivors in West Afri

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: 'post-Ebola syndrome' among survivors in West Afri
    Posted: February 05 2015 at 2:37pm

Ebola outbreak: Doctors warn of 'post-Ebola syndrome' among survivors in West Africa

Updated 

Doctors treating Ebola in Africa are raising concerns about the emergence of "post-Ebola syndrome" among survivors of the deadly outbreak.

Ebola, which killed almost 9,000 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, initially causes fever and vomiting, then attacks the immune system and vital organs, often causing internal and external bleeding.

About 60 per cent of Ebola patients have died in the current outbreak, typically from shock or organ failure, but according to the UN there were also between 5,000 and 10,000 survivors in the region.

Some of those who have survived the disease report a mixture of symptoms after their recovery, including vision problems, joint pain, hair and memory loss and anxiety attacks.

Romeo Doe, a 29-year-old tailor who survived Ebola in Liberia, is struggling to cope with the impact of a disease that killed seven members of his family.

"Since I was discharged I have felt this pain in my eyes," he said.

"They, as you can see, are red; they are hurting me. I want the government to help me get back on my feet."

Margaret Nanyonga, a doctor who treated Ebola patients in the town of Kenema in Sierra Leone, said she had seen survivors go blind.

Overall about half of those she saw recover reported declining health, she said.

Doctors said it was not yet clear how long the symptoms lasted.


There was also no scientific literature or medical consensus on any new syndrome among West African survivors or how many people might be affected.

Dan Kelly, founder of the non-profit organisation Wellbody Alliance and a doctor specialising in infectious diseases, said the situation could be complicated by poor medical records, making it hard to separate any new symptoms from pre-existing conditions.

Ebola, like many severe infections, may also weaken survivors and make other illnesses more likely.

Mr Kelly said some Ebola after-effects appear linked to the infection itself, with some patients developing symptoms similar to so-called autoimmune disorders - where the immune system was overstimulated and attacked the body's own tissues.

Other patients developed symptoms similar to uveitis, he said, an eye inflammation causing blindness.

"With post-Ebola syndrome there is an autoimmune response: it's revved up, and we don't really know why," he said.

More survivors means more chance to study impact

Even survivors with no worrying symptoms said it was hard to get back to normal life, with so many unanswered questions about Ebola's impact.

One of the ongoing concerns relates to sexual health - some female Ebola survivors said they have stopped menstruating, and the virus could also remain in semen for months.

The links between Ebola and mental health disorders was also not well understood.

Ben Neumann, a virologist at Britain's Reading University who studies Ebola and other viruses and their effects, said Lassa virus, which comes from West Africa and causes a similar disease to Ebola, had also been reported as having longer-term health effects.

"(Lassa) survivors often report signs of nerve damage such as loss of hearing," he said.

"[It would be] surprising that something as damaging as Ebola did not have lasting effects."

The current lack of knowledge about post-Ebola health effects was probably "due to Ebola being a rare virus that left few survivors before this outbreak", he said.

Some after-effects of Ebola have been reported in previous outbreaks since the disease was first detected in 1976, but past epidemics were smaller and often more deadly, meaning there were fewer survivors to generate interest to warrant research.

Mr Kelly said this outbreak creates a unique opportunity to learn more.

"We are at risk of missing the window," he said.

"We need to start catching survivors as they leave treatment centres."

ABC/Reuters

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
Hazelpad View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group


Joined: September 09 2014
Status: Offline
Points: 6910
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hazelpad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 05 2015 at 5:23pm
Good article, as we said before on this topic, ebola is the gift that keeps on giving.
Back to Top
Anything View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Anything Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 10:04am
It's probably causing a chronic activation of the intracellular NF-kB driven immune response, causing a range of symptoms, depending on the cell type in which the activation occurs.

NF-kB has multiple functions, but a principal function is the control of latent intracellular pathogens. It is often aberrantly activated in  the absence of infection, and is associated with most non-communicable diseases.

Examples of the pathogens it controls include the herpes family, TB, hepatitis C, borrellia (Lyme disease), enteroviruses etc. 
Back to Top
Jen147 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: March 23 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 17144
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jen147 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 3:25pm
Nice read, carbon.
Back to Top
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2015 at 3:33pm
 thanks Tongue

its not over till its over 

and it will never be over i fear 

i remain as ever "interested " lol....


Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down