Desbah Rose Yazzie
Hospital Administrator
About
Ebola
The Ebola virus causes an acute, serious illness which is often fatal if untreated. Ebola virus disease (EVD) first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in what is now, Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter occurred in a village near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.
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The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
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The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
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The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in West Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
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Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.
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Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
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There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.
How do you get it?
People get Ebola through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with
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blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola,
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objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with body fluids from a person who is sick with Ebola or the body of a person who has died from Ebola,
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infected fruit bats or primates (apes and monkeys), and
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possibly from contact with semen from a man who has recovered from Ebola (for example, by having oral, vaginal, or anal sex)
Signs and Symptoms
Prevention
References and other info
There is no FDA-approved vaccine available for Ebola.
If you travel to or are in an area affected by an Ebola outbreak, make sure to do the following:
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Practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids (such as urine, feces, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluids).
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Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).
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Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
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Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals.
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Avoid facilities in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities.
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Avoid contact with semen from a man who has had Ebola until you know Ebola is gone from his semen.
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After you return, monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical care immediately if you developsymptoms of Ebola.
Healthcare workers who may be exposed to people with Ebola should follow these steps:
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Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
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Practice proper infection control and sterilization measures. For more information, see U.S. Healthcare Workers and Settings.
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Isolate patients with Ebola from other patients.
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Avoid direct, unprotected contact with the bodies of people who have died from Ebola.
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Notify health officials if you have had direct contact with the blood or body fluids, such as but not limited to, feces, saliva, urine, vomit, and semen of a person who is sick with Ebola. The virus can enter the body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth.