The Ebola virus – also known as Ebola Haemorrhagic Disease – is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and non-human primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976. The disease is caused by infection with the Ebola virus.
Where do cases of Ebola occur?
Confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. No case of the disease in humans has ever been reported in the United States. Ebola typically appears in sporadic outbreaks, usually spread within a healthcare setting.
How is Ebola virus spread?
Infections with Ebola virus are acute. There is no carrier state. Because the natural reservoir of the virus is unknown, the manner in which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak has not been determined. However, researchers have hypothesised that the first patient becomes infected through contact with an infected animal.
After the first-case patient in an outbreak setting is infected, the virus can be transmitted in several ways. People can be exposed to Ebola from direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an infected person.
Thus, the virus is often spread through families and friends because they come into close contact with such secretions when caring for infected persons. People can also be exposed to Ebola virus through contact with objects, such as needles, that have been contaminated with infected secretions.
What are the symptoms of Ebola?
The incubation period for Ebola ranges from 2 to 21 days. The onset of illness is abrupt and is characterised by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach pain.
A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients. Researchers do not understand why some people are able to recover from Ebola and others not. Patients who die have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death.
Source: National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)
