Jessica Dukes
Current Issues
Coach Estep 4th Hour
8 December 2014
Advances in Technology to Assist in Public Health Throughout the history of civilization, episodes of rampant outbreaks of communicable diseases have threatened humanity. Education of the public has evolved from the primitive word of mouth to the unharnessed social media of today. Prior to the twentieth century, communication to the masses was dependent on the slow and cumbersome verbal message and limited print media. Because of this, educating the public on public health concerns was very ineffective. Current technology is instrumental in the overall management of public health. The recent Ebola outbreak has demonstrated the essential role of technology in evaluating and monitoring the disease, as well as communicating to the public the pubic health risk. Throughout the course of history, there have been several notable epidemics, which have threatened the existence of mankind. Small Pox, Yellow Fever, Polio, and Ebola are a few of the most devastating diseases (Healthline Editorial Team). There have been different approaches to controlling the diseases based on the availability of the technology during the particular time period. History will show that the technology used for the management of Ebola is exponentially greater than any prior efforts. During the 1700's, weeks and months passed before anyone realized that entire villages had been destroyed by disease. This was best illustrated by the Smallpox epidemic. While a caption was traveling the shores of Discovery Bay, he found "a seemingly unlimited supply of salmon and freshwater, but … strikingly few people.. and several human skulls, and other bones, promiscuously scattered about" (Fenn). It was several weeks before the captain could communicate the findings back to health authorities. The authenticity of these reports was often questioned. The uncertainty about the information lead to an ineffective approach to the containment and treatment of the disease (Fenn). In a short amount of time, the Smallpox epidemic lead to the death of 300 million people in the 20th century (Flight). Smallpox management contrasts very differently from the management of Ebola. Ebola is a viral disease that is extremely infectious and has a death rate up to ninety percent. The virus outbreak begins due to the ingestion of bush meat from animals or from fruit bats; therefore, people who live near tropical rain forests are more likely to come in contact with these animals and consume their meat. Ebola initially has similar symptoms to the flu. It begins with a sudden fever as well as muscle and joint pain, but develops into "Vomiting, diarrhea and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding" (This is the Worst). Ebola has been a fatal illness that has affected hundreds of people at various times. The Ebola Virus Disease first occurred in Yambuku and surrounding areas in 1976, killing 280 (88% of the total cases). Since 1976, Ebola has had thirty-one relatively small outbreaks (no more than 250 people died) (Outbreaks Chronology). In February of 2014 reports of Ebola began to surface and spread without bound. The outbreak has significantly been worse than any before and is believed to be the worst outbreak in history (This is the Worst). In March of 2014, 15,935 cases were reported from multiple countries in West Africa. The Ebola subtype, Zaire virus, killed 5,689 people (36%). The numbers have only continued to increase due to the ongoing investigation (Outbreaks Chronology). As of December of 2014, a total of 6,128 people have died (2014 Ebola Outbreak). Everyone is asking what is the solution to the vicious virus, and until scientists develop a cure for the virus, the public health officials must rely heavily on technology to monitor the disease and educate the public. Technology has played a central role in the management of Ebola. When the first cases of Ebola were confirmed, government and medical officials
