Ebola: the next global epidemic?

Films such as 28 Weeks Later, Doomsday and I Am Legend attest to the terrors of a global pandemic, and history has shown us just how susceptible we are to disease. Historical diseases such as the Black Death, measles and smallpox have overwhelming death tolls reaching 100, 200 and 300 million respectively.

HIV is a pandemic significantly affecting regions such as India, China and Africa. In Africa alone, the AIDS death toll is expected to reach up to 100 million by 2025 – a similar number of deaths to those caused by both World Wars. There are many viruses around today that have the capacity to be even more lethal. Ebola is one such virus.

Very few viruses have caused as much stir amongst the medical community as ebola. It is classified as a Category A bio-warfare agent by the Centres for Disease Control. The virus causes internal bleeding and multiple organ failure. It can dissolve the connective tissue of the face, as well as liquefying the body from the inside out. These disturbing symptoms sound like an excerpt from the latest zombie apocalypse blockbuster, but this is the clinical reality of ebola.

Since it was first identified in 1976, it was believed that transmission was facilitated through contact with bodily fluids, keeping cases relatively contained. Recently, however, Canadian researchers have carried out experiments showing that monkeys are able to catch the disease from infected pigs without direct contact, giving possible evidence that the ebola virus could be airborne.

Should we be worried? Ebola has a 90 percent fatality rate, and there is no known cure or vaccine. This makes it incredibly deadly. However, researchers have only seen the airborne transmission of ebola under very specific conditions so far. Ebola also debilitates the host very rapidly, meaning victims rarely have a chance to transmit the disease.

Professor David Evans of Warwick University was kind enough to put our worries at ease. He said: “I can sleep easy at night, I am certainly not worried of a killer virus scenario; it is not how our life works. Our lives are far neater, and there is an exquisite elegance in the relationship between humans and viruses.”

For the majority of us, viruses are not a threat to the human race, but we cannot rule out the possibility of a major pandemic. Even if we are struck by a tragedy which kills the majority of the population, we don’t need a large number of people to carry on. We are a remarkably resilient species and it will take something very extraordinary to push us towards the exit.