What we know (and don't know) about Ebola - Alex Gendler

Što znamo (i ne znamo) o Eboli - Alex Gendler

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

In the summer of 1976,

U ljeto 1976.,

a mysterious epidemic suddenly struck two central African towns,

misteriozna epidemija pogodila je dva grada središnje Afrike ,

killing the majority of its victims.

ubijajući većinu svojih žrtava.

Medical researchers suspected

Medicinski istraživači sumnjali su

the deadly Marburg virus to be the culprit.

na smrtonosni virus Marburg.

But what they saw in microscope images was an entirely new pathogen,

Ali ono što su vidjeli pod mikroskopom bio je potpuno novi patogen,

which would be named after the nearby Ebola river.

koji će dobiti ime po obližnjoj rijeci Eboli.

Like yellow fever or dengue,

Kao žuta ili dengue groznica,

the disease caused by the Ebola virus is a severe type of hemorrhagic fever.

bolest koja je uzrokovana virusom Ebole je ozbiljan oblik hemoragične groznice.

It begins by attacking the immune system's cells

Započinje napadanjem stanica imunosnog sustava

and neutralizing its responses,

i neutraliziranjem njegovog odgovora,

allowing the virus to proliferate.

dozvoljavajući virusu da se razmnožava.

Starting anywhere from two to twenty days after contraction,

Bilo gdje između dva i dvadeset dana od zaraze

initial symptoms like high temperature,

početni simptomi kao visoka temperatura,

aching,

bolovi,

and sore throat

i bolno grlo

resemble those of a typical flu,

podsjećaju na običnu gripu,

but quickly escalate to vomiting,

ali brzo eskaliraju do povraćanja,

rashes,

osipa,

and diarrhea.

i proljeva.

And as the virus spreads,

I kako se virus širi,

it invades the lymph nodes and vital organs,

napada limfne čvorove i vitalne organe,

such as kidneys and liver, causing them to lose function.

kao što su bubrezi i jetra, uzrokujući gubitak funkciju.

But the virus itself is not what kills Ebola victims.

Ali sam virus nije ono što ubija žrtve Ebole.

Instead, the mounting cell deaths trigger an immune system overload,

Umjesto toga, nakupljajuće smrti stanica pokreću preopterećenje imunosnog ustava,

known as a cytokine storm,

poznat kao citokina oluja,

an explosion of immune responses that damages blood vessels,

eksplozija imunoloških odgovora koji oštećuju krvne žile,

causing both internal and external bleeding.

uzrokujući nutarnje i vanjsko krvarenje.

The excessive fluid loss and resulting complications

Ekscesivni gubitak tekućine i komplikacije koje iz toga proizlaze

can be fatal within six to sixteen days of the first symptoms,

mogu biti fatalne unutar šest do šesnaest dana od prvih simptoma,

though proper care and rehydration therapy

iako njega i rehidratacija

can significantly reduce mortality rates in patients.

mogu značajno smanjiti stopu smrtnosti u pacijenata.

Fortunately, while Ebola is highly virulent,

Srećom, iako je Ebola jako zarazna,

several factors limit its contagiousness.

niekoliko činitelja ograničava njenu zaraznost.

Unlike viruses that proliferate through small, airborne particles,

Nasuprot virusima koji se razmnožavaju sitnim česticama nošenim zrakom,

Ebola only exists in bodily fluids,

Ebola postoji samo u tjelesnim tekućinama,

such as saliva,

kao što je slina,

blood,

krv,

mucus,

sluz,

vomit,

or feces.

povraćotina,

ili izmet.

In order to spread,

Kako bi se širila,

these must be transmitted from an infected person into another's body

ove stvari moraju biti prenešene sa zaražene osobe u tijelo druge

through passageways such as the eyes, mouth, or nose.

kroz prolaze kao što su oči, usta ili nos.

And because the disease's severity

I kako se opasnost bolesti

increases directly along with the viral load,

povećava direktno sa količinom virusa,

even an infected person is unlikely to be contagious

čak i zaražena osoba neće biti zarazna

until they have begun to show symptoms.

dok ne počne pokazivati simptome.

While Ebola has been shown to survive on surfaces for several hours,

Iako Ebola preživljava na površini nekoliko sati,

and transmission through sneezing or coughing is theoretically possible,

i prenošenje putem kašljanja ili kihanja teoretski jest moguće,

virtually all known cases of contraction have been through direct contact

svi poznati slučajevi zaraze bili su kroz direktan kontakt

with the severely ill,

sa teško oboljelima,

with the greatest risk posed to medical workers

gdje je najveći rizik za medicinsko osoblje

and friends or relatives of the victims.

i prijatelje ili rodbinu žrtava.

This is why, despite its horrifying effects,

Zato, unatoč strašnim posljedicama,

Ebola has been far less deadly overall than more common infections,

Ebola je manje smrtonosna od uobičajenih infekcija,

such as measles,

kao ospice,

malaria,

malarija,

or even influenza.

ili čak gripa.

Once an outbreak has been contained,

Kada se zaraza zaustavi,

the virus does not exist in the human population

virus ne postoji u ljudskoj populaciji,

until the next outbreak begins.

do sljedeće zaraze.

But while this is undoubtedly a good thing,

Ali dok je to dobra stvar, bez sumnje,

it also makes Ebola difficult to study.

to također čini Ebolu teškom za proučavanje.

Scientists believe fruit bats to be its natural carriers,

Znanstvenici vjeruju da su šišmiši prirodni nositelji

but just how it is transmitted to humans remains unknown.

ali kako se prenosi na ljude još je nepoznanica.

Furthermore, many of the countries where Ebola outbreaks occur

Nadalje, puno zemalja gdje se Ebola pojavi

suffer from poor infrastructure and sanitation,

pati od loše infrastrukture i sanitacija,

which enables the disease to spread.

koje omogućuju da se bolest širi.

And the poverty of these regions,

I siromaštvo ovih regija,

combined with the relatively low amount of overall cases

kombinirano sa malim brojem ukupnih slučajeva

means there is little economic incentive for drug companies to invest in research.

znači da postoji jako malen ekonomski interes za investiranje u istraživanje.

Though some experimental medicines have shown promise,

Iako su neki eksperimentalni lijekovi obećavajći,

and governments are funding development of a vaccine,

i vlade financiraju razvoj cjepiva,

as of 2014,

do 2014.,

the only widespread and effective solutions to an Ebola outbreak remain

jedino rašireno i učinkovito rješenje za Ebolu ostaje

isolation,

izolacija,

sanitation,

sanitacija,

and information.

i informacija.