Member-only story
How Was the Ebola Virus Discovered?
Another virus that only threatened the world with a possible pandemic
During the late 20th century as well as most of the 21st century, our world has been threatened by pandemics before even the appearance of Covid-19. There have been many outbreaks of Ebola in the last 40 years, but most of them took place in third world countries, specifically in Africa, due to the lack of medical resources.
Similarities and differences between Ebola and Covid-19
The virus has a different manifestation from Covid-19 which actually makes it more deadly. The symptoms are quite different, apart from muscle aches and stomach pains, Ebola starts its attack by destroying the immune cells within the bloodstream of the infected person. This is done by blocking the release of interferon, a protein created by our immune system in order to fight viruses and bacterias.
Once the immune system becomes pretty much obsolete, the virus attacks the liver and spleen making these vital organs shut down and eventually kill the infected. A big difference between Ebola and Covid-19 is that the latter can actually be treated (not cured yet) with antibiotics or other antiviral drugs, whilst Ebola can be very difficult to treat because even the strongest antibiotics…