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

Šta (ne) znamo o eboli - Aleks Džendler (Alex Gendler)

Prevodilac: Nedžad Neziri Lektor: Mile Živković

In the summer of 1976,

U leto 1976,

a mysterious epidemic suddenly struck two central African towns,

misteriozna epidemija je zadesila dva grada u centralnoj Africi

killing the majority of its victims.

pri tom ubivši većinu svojih žrtava.

Medical researchers suspected

Tim medicinskih istraživača je sumnjao

the deadly Marburg virus to be the culprit.

da je uzrok smrtonosni virus Marburg.

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

No, pod mikroskopom su videli sasvim novi patogen,

which would be named after the nearby Ebola river.

koji će ime dobiti po obližnjoj reci Eboli.

Like yellow fever or dengue,

Kao žuta groznica i denge,

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

bolest uzrokovana virusom ebole predstavlja vrstu hemoragijske groznice.

It begins by attacking the immune system's cells

Počinje tako što napada ćelije imunološkog sistema,

and neutralizing its responses,

time ih neutrališući,

allowing the virus to proliferate.

i omogućava virusu da se širi.

Starting anywhere from two to twenty days after contraction,

Nakon 2 do 20 dana od zaražavanja virusom, javljaju se prvi simptomi

initial symptoms like high temperature,

poput visoke temperature,

aching,

bola

and sore throat

i upaljenog grla,

resemble those of a typical flu,

slično simptomima običnog gripa,

but quickly escalate to vomiting,

ali to ubrzo prelazi u povraćanje,

rashes,

osip

and diarrhea.

i proliv.

And as the virus spreads,

Kako se virus širi,

it invades the lymph nodes and vital organs,

on napada limfne čvorove i vitalne organe,

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

kao što su bubrezi i jetra, tako da oni otkazuju.

But the virus itself is not what kills Ebola victims.

No, sam virus nije ono što ubija žrtve ebole.

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

Zapravo, rastući broj mrtvih ćelija uzrokuje preopterećenje imunog sistema,

known as a cytokine storm,

što je poznato kao "citokinska oluja",

an explosion of immune responses that damages blood vessels,

eksplozija imunog sistema koja oštećuje krvne udove,

causing both internal and external bleeding.

prouzrokujući unutrašnje i spoljašnje krvarenje.

The excessive fluid loss and resulting complications

Gubitak tečnosti dovodi do komplikacija

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

koje mogu biti smrtonosne u roku od 6 do 16 dana od pojave prvih simptoma,

though proper care and rehydration therapy

ali odgovarajuća nega i rehidracijska terapija

can significantly reduce mortality rates in patients.

mogu da smanje stopu smrtonosti među pacijentima.

Fortunately, while Ebola is highly virulent,

Na sreću, iako je ebola veoma zarazna,

several factors limit its contagiousness.

nekoliko faktora ograničava njenu prenosivost.

Unlike viruses that proliferate through small, airborne particles,

Za razliku od virusa koji se šire putem vazduha,

Ebola only exists in bodily fluids,

ebola samo opstaje unutar tečnosti organizma

such as saliva,

kao što su pljuvačka,

blood,

krv,

mucus,

sluz,

vomit,

or feces.

izbljuvak

ili izmet.

In order to spread,

Da bi se proširila,

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

mora se preneti sa zaražene na novu osobu

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

preko usta, nosa ili očiju.

And because the disease's severity

I kako se opasnost od zaraze širi

increases directly along with the viral load,

viralnim putem,

even an infected person is unlikely to be contagious

nemoguće je utvrditi osobu koja poseduje virus ebole

until they have begun to show symptoms.

dok ne pokaže simptome.

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

Virus ebole može da preživi nekoliko sati na površini,

and transmission through sneezing or coughing is theoretically possible,

pa je teoretski moguće da se prenese putem kijanja ili kašljanja,

virtually all known cases of contraction have been through direct contact

ali su gotovo svi poznati slučajevi prenosa zaraze bili kroz direktan kontakt

with the severely ill,

sa ozbiljno bolesnim pacijentima,

with the greatest risk posed to medical workers

gde je najvećem riziku izloženo medicinsko osoblje

and friends or relatives of the victims.

i prijatelji i rodbina žrtvi.

This is why, despite its horrifying effects,

Zbog ovoga je virus ebole, uprkos svojim strašnim efektima

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

manje smrtonosan nego srodne infekcije,

kao što su boginje,

such as measles,

malaria,

malarija,

or even influenza.

pa i grip.

Once an outbreak has been contained,

Kada se epidemija suzbije,

the virus does not exist in the human population

virus ne može da dođe u kontakt sa ljudima,

until the next outbreak begins.

dok se ne pojavi nova epidemija.

But while this is undoubtedly a good thing,

Koliko ovo bila dobra stvar,

it also makes Ebola difficult to study.

virus ebole je težak slučaj za posmatranje.

Scientists believe fruit bats to be its natural carriers,

Naučnici veruju da su prenosioci slepi miševi

but just how it is transmitted to humans remains unknown.

ali postupak prenosa virusa na ljude ostaje misterija.

Furthermore, many of the countries where Ebola outbreaks occur

Većina zemalja u kojoj se virus ebole raširi,

suffer from poor infrastructure and sanitation,

pati od slabe infrastrukture i kanalizacionih čvorova,

which enables the disease to spread.

koji pogoduju virusu da se širi.

And the poverty of these regions,

Siromaštvo tih predela,

combined with the relatively low amount of overall cases

u kombinaciji sa relativno niskom količinom ukupnih slučajeva

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

znači da postoji malo ekonomskog podsticaja za farmaceutsko istraživanje.

Though some experimental medicines have shown promise,

Iako neki eksperimentalni lekovi pokazuju pozitivne efekte

and governments are funding development of a vaccine,

i vlade finansiraju razvijanje vakcine,

as of 2014,

u 2014, jedini način

the only widespread and effective solutions to an Ebola outbreak remain

da se spreči širenje virusa

isolation,

jeste izolacija,

sanitation,

higijena

and information.

i pravovremeno informisanje.