EBOLA - Admission/Application Essay Example

Ebola virus targets the immune system of the affected person. The victim’s immune system gets totally suppressed and severe inflammation occurs damaging the vascular system (Mestrovic). In advanced stages, internal and external organs begin to bleed leading to multi-organ failure, with death being the eventual result in almost all cases. The pandemic potential of Ebola is visible in the current times. An outbreak of Ebola was first reported in Guinea in March 2014 and it rapidly spread to neighbouring countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone, resulting in high number of fatalities.

The whole of West Africa is in panic as the mortality rate touched 64 percent based on the Ebola deaths in all the three countries (Dixon and Schafer). In addition to loss of lives, the disease has also given a severe economic blow to the economies of the disease affected countries. For example, the World Bank had reported that the “early estimates for growth in Guinea have been halved from 4.5% to 2.4% as a result of the disease” (Jallanzo). Other Ebola affected countries also face similar economic problems along with related social problems.

The exact virulence factors and host responses of Ebola are not known so far and this is the main factor that impedes the development of proper treatment methodologies and vaccines. The unprecedented speed in which Ebola spreads makes it a serious cause of concern. Another dreadful fact is that there is a possibility of using Ebola virus as a bioterrorism weapon. The Department of Defence and Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has classified the Ebola virus as a bio-warfare agent. (Hagopian). As Ebola affected persons can die within a very short span of time and as there are no standard measures to treat the disease other than isolating the infected person, it can be used as an extremely dangerous weapon.

It has the potency to wipe away millions of lives thereby causing grave global depopulation. Terrorist could