The Synergy Project Magazine - August 2020

Y’S
LA
virus spreads through blood
products (unclean needles
or unscreened blood); by
animals, insect bites, or stings;
by touching contaminated
surfaces (blankets or
doorknobs), and by saliva
(kissing or shared drinks)
(Green & Cooper, 2014). For
this reason, in unhygienic areas
with large populations, viruses
like Ebola run rampant.
But how and why are
these viruses reappearing?
Answering this question
involves understanding how
viruses function. Oftentimes,
they lay dormant in people
or animals and become
active quickly. The mutations
that occur—without being
expressed—creates unidentified
infectious diseases, such as
Ebola (“Origins of,” 2015).
More specifically, the Ebola
mutations were discovered
to be the derivative of the
Zaire species, which is one
of the most deadly viruses in
the Ebola category (“Origins
of,” 2015). It is important
to remember that similar to
the many global pandemics
had originated from different
viruses. However, they slowly
mutated to result in hundreds
of variations of the same
parent virus. The virus has
now been proved that the virus
found in the 2014 outbreak is
3% new and 97% similar to
the 1976 Ebola virus (Green &
Cooper, 2014).
Overall, as our
knowledge of the virus has
expanded, so have the possible
mutations leading to instability
in central Africa regarding
curbing the virus’ spread.
Works Cited
Ebola virus [Illustration]. (2014).
Emory School of Medicine
Visual Medical Education.
https://med.emory.edu/
education/vme/pages/gallery/
pf-ebola.html
Ebola virus disease. (n.d.). World
Health Organization. https://
www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease
Green, C., & Cooper, C. (2014,
October 2). Ebola virus:
Pandemic should be treated ‘the
same way’ as the threat posed
by nuclear weapons, security
officials say. Independent.
https://www.independent.
co.uk/life-style/healthand-families/health-news/
ebola-virus-pandemic-shouldbe-treated-the-same-wayas-threat-posed-by-nuclearweapons-security-9771219.
html
Origins of the 2014 Ebola epidemic.
(2015). World Health
Organization. https://www.who.
int/csr/disease/ebola/one-yearreport/virus-origin/en/
What is Ebola virus disease? (2019,
November 5). Centers for
Disease Control and Protection.
Retrieved April 13, 2020, from
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
about.html
What you need to know about Ebola
[Fact sheet]. (2015, April 30).
Retrieved April 13, 2020, from
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
pdf/mutations.pdf
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