Ebola Outbreaks

There are soooo many dangers in the world, and the most deadliest are often too small to see with the naked eye. An example of these microscopic killers is the Ebola Virus, which has been fighting it's way through our population since 1976.

It all started in 1996, in the village of Yambuku near the Ebola river - where the virus got It's name from - and the first person to contract the disease was the village Headmaster, Mabalo Lokela, who became infected after touring the Ebola river during the 12th-22nd of August 1996; he later died on the 8th of September. Since then, there was another 318 other cases reported near the same area which resulted in 280 deaths (Meaning the virus had a 88% fatality rate).

The virus was then eventually contained with the help of the World Health Organization, but then another species of the virus was identified in Sudan, which effected 283 people and killed 151 - Meaning this species has a 53% fatality rate -. Since then, the Ebola Virus was generally unheard of up until 6th December 2013 in Guinea, where an outbreak was traced back to a 2 year old boy who later died. Since then, by mid-august there has been around 2,127 cases and 1,145 deaths, and due to this, on the 8th August 2014, the World Health Organization declared an "international public health emergency" epidemic, which urged the rest of the world to aid effected regions of the world.

The virus can often be confused with viruses like Cholera, Typhoid fever and Malaria (Symptoms also tend not to appear for up to 21 days). The virus has flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fevers and muscle pain, but anyone infected with the virus may also suffer internal bleeding and even external bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The only current way to treat anyone infected is to isolate them in intensive care, where body organs can be correctly supported as the body fights the virus. The only discovered way for the virus to transmit from human-to-human is through bodily fluids, although the natural host for the virus is thought to be fruit bats.

All of this was the thing that led up to the deadly virus that is migrating from country-to-country today, so as long as you don't exchange bodily fluids with anyone who has recently visited countries around the equator (specifically Africa) you should be fine!

ALS Arguments

Recently there has been an abundance of videos surfacing allover the internet involving people throwing cold water over themselves to raise money for charity, and somehow the original intention for it has disappeared and it has now been known as just a "Fun summer challenge" or "A challenge to raise awareness"

Although no one here is to blame really, It is slightly annoying about how many different variations these videos have about them and I thought I would do a little summary of what the challenge was originally for. Basically, there is this disease called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) which - long story short - degrades A persons motor-skills over time, and as the disease worsens/spreads it can also cause numbness and muscle spasms to the persons body.

The challenge was for anyone nominated to donate to ALS research, and also do an ice water challenge (you donate either way) The ice water challenge is basically nominating a person to dump freezing cold water onto themselves and then nominate other people to do it too, but the freezing water was to symbolize the progression of the disease and how it numbs the affected body. (Fun fact, ALS is the disease Stephen Hawking has, and is the reason he is paralyzed)

Sorry for the short post today guys, I promise I have more on its way soon!