Ebola virus disease (EVD or Ebola) is a rare but severe illness in humans. It is often fatal. People get infected with Ebola by touching:
infected animals when preparing, cooking or eating them
body fluids of an infected person such as saliva, urine, faeces or semen
things that have the body fluids of an infected person like clothes or sheets.
Ebola enters the body through cuts in the skin or when touching one’s eyes, nose or mouth.
Early symptoms include fever, fatigue and headache.
Some types of Ebola can be prevented with vaccines and treated with medicines.
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in what is now Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.
The virus family Filoviridae includes 3 genera: Cuevavirus, Marburgvirus, and Ebolavirus. Within the genus Ebolavirus, 6 species have been identified: Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Taï Forest, Reston and Bombali.
Transmission
It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope or porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.
Ebola then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with:
blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola; and
objects that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces, vomit) from a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola.
Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola. This occurs through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.
Burial ceremonies that involve direct contact with the body of the deceased can also contribute to the transmission of Ebola.
People remain infectious as long as their blood contains the virus. After recovery, there is the possibility of sexual transmission, which can be reduced with support and information for survivors.
Pregnant women who get acute Ebola and recover from the disease may still carry the virus in breastmilk, or in pregnancy related fluids and tissues.
Symptoms
The symptoms of Ebola infection can be sudden and include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, and internal and external bleeding.
The time from when someone gets infected to having symptoms is usually from 2 to 21 days. A person with Ebola can only spread the disease once they have symptoms. People can spread Ebola for as long as their body contains the virus, even after they have died.
After recovering from Ebola, some people may have symptoms for two years or longer. These symptoms can include:
feeling tired
headache
muscle and joint pain
eye pain and vision problems
weight gain
belly pain and loss of appetite
hair loss and skin problems
trouble sleeping
memory loss
hearing loss
depression and anxiety.
People should speak to a health-care professional if they have:
symptoms and have been in an area known to have Ebola, or
been in contact with someone who may have had Ebola.
Diagnosis
It can be difficult to clinically distinguish Ebola virus disease from other infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever and meningitis. Many symptoms of pregnancy and Ebola disease are also quite similar. Because of risks to the pregnancy and themselves, pregnant women should ideally be tested rapidly if Ebola is suspected.
Confirmation that symptoms are caused by Ebola virus infection are made using the following diagnostic methods:
People with symptoms of Ebola should get medical care immediately. Early care improves a person’s chances of surviving Ebola.
Treatment includes oral or intravenous fluids and medicines provided in the hospital.
It is not safe to care for people with Ebola at home, because the person may make other people sick. At home, they will not receive the same level of care they can get from professionals.
There is an effective vaccine for the Zaire type of Ebola, which is mostly found in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is treated with antibodies. These antibody medicines are given intravenously and increase the chances of survival.
Research is ongoing to find vaccines and treatments for other types of Ebola.
For all types of Ebola, supportive treatments save lives and include the following:
oral or intravenous fluids
blood transfusions
medicines for other infections the person may have, such as malaria
medicines for pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
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