What’s the current epidemic situation?  

 

当前在利比里亚、塞拉利昂和几内亚还有病例出现。控制埃博拉疫情的主要方法包括：迅速发现并隔离病人，发现密切接触者并对其进行症状监测，在医疗机构中开展感染控制，和安全丧葬。这些措施成功地控制了这次疫情以前所有的暴发疫情。美国疾控中心正在全力帮助西非三国实施这些措施，但是由于缺乏资源、错误认识及当地文化等因素的影响，这些措施的实施有些受阻。

Will the Ebola virus spread to other continents? 

 We believe that reservoir for Ebola virus is a type of fruit bat whose natural habitat is sub-saharan Africa and southern Asia.  The index case usually has an exposure to an infected bat.  But human outbreaks have occurred because of person to person transmission.  Outbreaks of human disease have only occurred in Africa.  There have been intermittent cases of Ebola imported into other countries where the disease is acquired in Africa and then the patient travels to another country.  In this current outbreak, there have been 3 cases where healthcare workers were infected by an imported case (2 in the USA and 1 in Spain).  These secondary cases were detected early and no other infections were detected.  You can go to the following US CDC website to see all outbreaks that have occurred since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976. (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/index.html)

              

is any effective preventive measures available?  

当前在利比里亚、塞拉利昂和几内亚还有病例出现。控制埃博拉疫情的主要方法包括：迅速发现并隔离病人，发现密切接触者并对其进行症状监测，在医疗机构中开展感染控制，和安全丧葬。这些措施成功地控制了这次疫情以前所有的暴发疫情。美国疾控中心正在全力帮助西非三国实施这些措施，但是由于缺乏资源、错误认识及当地文化等因素的影响，这些措施的实施有些受阻。

Previously I got the impression from media that EVD is incurable, and the outbreak could be very dreadful, even doctors don’t have any solution. it’s curable now, what caused this change? The emergence of some new medical technology?

现在没有能治愈埃博拉的药物。尽管没有有效的治疗药物，很多人还是可以成为埃博拉的幸存者，特别是那些在疾病早期阶段就被发现的病人。当前的治疗包括针对埃博拉症状的支持性治疗。 确实有一些未经广泛人群测试的实验性的治疗（药物），因此，那些病人的痊愈还不能被确定是这些实验性药物的作用还是他们自身就能够从埃博拉感染中痊愈。

Does Ebola have a regular active pattern? How to change the epidemic cycle?  

what are the main transmission routes for Ebola? May it be transmitted via air?  Can we just directly declare the infected patients will die, or put it in another way, the purpose of isolating the patients is to let them wait to die in a confined scope.

Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids (including but not limited to feces, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola. The virus in blood and body fluids can enter another person’s body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth. Ebola virus is not transmitted by air.  Not all infected patients will die.  In this current outbreak, about 40% of the infected patients survive. 

I want to know if Ebola could be prevented by taking medication and is effective medicine available now to cure the patients?  

There is no cure or medicine for Ebola.  Although there is no cure, many people can survive Ebola Virus Disease, especially if they get care early.  Medical care currently consists of supportive care where the symptoms of Ebola are treated as they occur.   There are some experimental treatments that have not been widely tested in humans so it is unknown whether these patients recovered because of the experimental treatment or because they would have survived Ebola anyway.

              

why the Ebola virus is so dreadful? Is there any effective preventive methods?  

There is no cure or medicine for Ebola.  Although there is no cure, many people can survive Ebola Virus Disease, especially if they get care early.  Medical care currently consists of supportive care where the symptoms of Ebola are treated as they occur.   There are some experimental treatments that have not been widely tested in humans so it is unknown whether these patients recovered because of the experimental treatment or because they would have survived Ebola anyway.

              

Is the outbreak contained now?

当前在利比里亚、塞拉利昂和几内亚还有病例出现。控制埃博拉疫情的主要方法包括：迅速发现并隔离病人，发现密切接触者并对其进行症状监测，在医疗机构中开展感染控制，和安全丧葬。这些措施成功地控制了这次疫情以前所有的暴发疫情。美国疾控中心正在全力帮助西非三国实施这些措施，但是由于缺乏资源、错误认识及当地文化等因素的影响，这些措施的实施有些受阻。