Ebola hemorrhagic fever
| Ebola virus disease | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), Ebola |
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| Two nurses standing near Mayinga N'Seka, a nurse with Ebola virus disease in the 1976 outbreak in Zaire. N'Seka died a few days later. | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| Symptoms | Fever, sore throat, muscular pain, headaches, diarrhea, bleeding |
| Complications | Low blood pressure from fluid loss |
| Usual onset | 2 days to 3 weeks post exposure |
| Causes | Ebolaviruses spread by direct contact |
| Diagnostic method | Finding the virus, viral RNA, or antibodies in blood |
| Similar conditions | Malaria, cholera, typhoid fever, meningitis, other viral hemorrhagic fevers |
| Prevention | Coordinated medical services, careful handling of bushmeat |
| Treatment | Supportive care |
| Prognosis | 25–90% mortality |
| Classification |
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| External resources |
Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) or simply Ebola, is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebolaviruses. Signs and symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus with a fever, sore throat, muscular pain, and headaches. Then, vomiting, diarrhea and rash usually follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. At this time, some people begin to bleed both internally and externally. The disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25 and 90 percent of those infected, with an average of about 50 percent. This is often due to low blood pressure from fluid loss, and typically follows six to sixteen days after symptoms appear.
The virus spreads by direct contact with body fluids, such as blood, of an infected human or other animals. This may also occur through contact with an item recently contaminated with bodily fluids. Spread of the disease through the air between primates, including humans, has not been documented in either laboratory or natural conditions.Semen or breast milk of a person after recovery from EVD may carry the virus for several weeks to months.Fruit bats are believed to be the normal carrier in nature, able to spread the virus without being affected by it. Other diseases such as malaria, cholera, typhoid fever, meningitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers may resemble EVD. Blood samples are tested for viral RNA, viral antibodies or for the virus itself to confirm the diagnosis.
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