Abstract

COVID 19 AND EBOLA: VIRUSES THAT TERRORIZE THE WORLD

*Bhujbal Pooja Sharad, Gaikwad Shruti Santosh, Sayyed Asra Rafique and Shaikh Madiha Abdul Hamid

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Abstract

To highlight the lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak that may inform our approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly related to the widespread disruption of health care, ophthalmic disease manifestations, and vision health systems strengthening for future outbreaks. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first detected in China in December, 2019, has become a worldwide health emergency, with significant disruption of all aspects of society, including travel, business, and medical care. While this pandemic has had unprecedented effects on health care delivery in the United States, experiences from recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks in Africa provide insight and inform our approach to COVID-19 and outbreak preparedness. Like COVID-19, the rapid emergence of Ebola required new clinical and surgical approaches to understand its associated spectrum of ophthalmic complications and the potential for Ebola viral persistence within the eye and in tear film. Recent reports of ophthalmic findings associated with COVID-19 include conjunctivitis, retinopathy, and molecular evidence of virus within the tear film in a minority of cases. Yet, more rigorous approaches to understand ophthalmic disease and transmission risk associated with COVID-19 are needed. Gaps also remain in our understanding of eye disease associated with other high priority emerging infectious diseases including Nipah, Lassa Fever, Marburg virus and others. Thoroughly understanding the ophthalmic findings and transmission risk associated with COVID-19 isparamount during this pandemic, providing additional measures of safety while resuming ophthalmic care for all patients.

Keywords: Covid 19, ebola, pandemic, outbreaks, vaccines.