User:Aced 24/sandbox

Overall, this article seems to be very well developed and is very informative over the Ebola virus disease (EVD). The article appears to be written in a very informative manner with no obvious bias statements made. This article is cited very well, and the citations seem to be from reliable sources. From what I could see, every statement of importance had a citation with it. This article focuses a lot on developing portions of the world such as many countries in Africa, as EVD has been prevalent in that area of the world. The only thing I might want to add to this article is more discussion in the "recovery and death" section. The article mentions symptoms that survivors of EVD have for continuing months, but I think it would be useful to add information on treating the continuing symptoms in the recovery topic as well.

Ebola viruses can remain in the body of those who suffered from Ebola virus disease in areas that are shielded from the body's personal immune defense systems.

It is recommended that survivors of EVD wear condoms for at least twelve months after initial infection or until their semen tests negative for Ebola virus on two separate occasions.

About 33% of people being treated for Ebola today survive.

Low levels of Ebola RNA virus has been detected in breast milk of survivors up to 16 months after the initial infection.

Journal entry - (9/21-9/26)

Comparison:

For the sake of this comparison, I am comparing the Rotavirus article with the Zaire ebolavirus article rather than the Ebola article which focuses on EVD - the disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus. I am using the Zaire ebolavirus article because it focuses on the actual virus, as in the case of the Rotavirus article. Right away, I notice that the Zaire ebolavirus article has a section designated to the genome of the virus whereas the Rotavirus article does not. The Zaire ebolavirus article also has an ecology section and the rotavirus article does not. Both articles contain about the same amount of pictures, but the Rotavirus article contains a table with the different Rotavirus genes and proteins. The Rotavirus article has much more cited articles compared to the Zaire ebolavirus article. The Rotavirus article also contains a section dedicated to the transmission of the virus in humans, and I think this is a section that could be added to the Zaire ebolavirus article to improve it.

Additions:

I plan to add a "Transmission" section to the Zaire ebolavirus article that is solely focused on the transmission of this virus to humans. This article currently lacks this information, and I think it would greatly improve the quality of the article.

 Transmission: 

It is common for Ebola viruses, including Zaire ebolavirus, to be transmitted from animals to humans. Fruit bats, particularly of the Pteropodidae family, are generally the most common natural hosts of the Zaire ebolavirus, but other jungle animals can also be natural hosts as well. Ebola viruses can then be transferred to humans whenever they come in contact with bodily fluids from animals that are infected with the virus. Zaire ebolavirus spreads between humans through direct contact. This transmission of the virus usually is due to the direct contact of bodily fluids such as blood, semen, and saliva. Humans can also be infected with Zaire ebolavirus from contact with contaminated equipment, such as needles, that have been used on an infected person and not sterilized properly. Outside of direct contact, Zaire ebolavirus can be spread between humans through droplets, fomites, and aerosol. Aerosols refer to large or small infectious particles of liquid or a solid that are suspended in the air. Aerosols evaporate and leave behind an infectious nuclei that can travel longer distances than droplets. Droplets refer to shorter distance transmission of a virus through droplets usually of bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, semen, etc. A fomite route of transmission refers to a person coming in contact with any sort of surface that has a pathogen capable of transmitting a virus. For example, a person could get infected with Zaire ebolavirus by touching a surface, such as a chair, that came in direct contact with a patient infected with Zaire ebolavirus. Viruses can also be shed through vomit and feces. Therefore, if a person were to come in contact with sewage water, they would be in risk of being infected with the virus. Despite there being many possible forms of transmission of Zaire ebolavirus between humans, direct contact with bodily fluids appears to be the most common route and the most likely way for a person to contract the virus.

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