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Common Endemic Diseases
Filovirus Hemorrhagic Fever
Etiologic agents
- Ebola Virus
- Marburg Virus
Clinical Features
- Incubation period of 5 to 10 days.
- Fever, myalgia, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough, chest pain, pharyngitis, conjuctivitis, jaundice, pancreatitis, lethary, confusion, hemorrhage, petechiae, ecchymoses, maculopapular rash, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia, elevated transaminases (AST > ALT), jaundice, and hepatitis.
Transmission
- Skin or mucous membranes contact with virus contaminated material, e.g., body fluids of infected individual, skin of infected patients, inhalation of aerosolized virus.
- Also parenteral inoculation through contaminated needles and syringes.
Diagnosis
In specialized laboratories:
- IgM and IgG detected by ELISA.
- Viral isolation.
- Also indirect fluorescent antibody test and reverse transcriptase PCR.
Prevention
- Strict isolation of infected animals and humans.
Additional Information
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