Ebola virus disease

Ebola Virus Disease

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In the absence of effective treatment and a

human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk

factors for Ebola infection and the protective

measures individuals can take is the only way

to reduce human infection and death.

What is Ebola

Key facts

• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.

• EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) handout photo of the Ebola virus


• EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.


• The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.


• Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.


• Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

• An ongoing epidemic of the Ebola virus disease has spread throughout Guinea and beyond the nation's borders in West Africa. The outbreak, which began in Guinea in February 2014 and has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, is the most severe in recorded history, both in the number of cases and fatalities.

• A suspected 1,323 cases with 729 deaths have been reported as of 27 July 2014, with 909 cases and 485 deaths confirmed to be Ebola.


Signs & Symptoms

Symptoms of EVD typically include:

• Fever

• Headache

• Joint and muscle aches

• Weakness

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Stomach pain

• Lack of appetite


Some patients may experience:

• A Rash

• Red Eyes

• Hiccups

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Chest pain

• Difficulty breathing

• Difficulty swallowing

• Bleeding inside and outside of the body


Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to ebolavirus though 8-10 days is most common.

Some who become sick with Ebola HF are able to recover, while others do not. The reasons behind this are not yet fully understood.

However, it is known that patients who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death.


PreventionPrevention focuses on avoiding contact with the viruses. The following precautions can help prevent infection and spread of Ebola

• Avoid areas of known outbreaks. Before traveling to Africa, find out about current epidemics by checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

• Wash your hands frequently. As with other infectious diseases, one of the most important preventive measures is frequent hand-washing. Use soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren't available.

• Avoid wildlife /bush meat. In developing countries, avoid buying or eating the wild animals, including nonhuman primates, sold in local markets.


• Avoid contact with infected people. In particular, caregivers should avoid contact with the person's body fluids and tissues, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions and saliva. People with Ebola are most contagious in the later stages of the disease.

• Follow infection-control procedures. If you're a health care worker, wear protective clothing, such as gloves, masks, gowns and eye shields. Keep infected people isolated from others. Dispose of needles and sterilize other instruments.

• Don't handle remains. The bodies of people who have died of Ebola disease are still contagious. Specially organized and trained teams should bury the remains, using appropriate safety equipment.

Ebola virus disease

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Ebola virus disease