Ebola virus factfile
What is the Ebola virus and what are the symptoms?
The World Health Organization describes Ebola as "a severe acute viral illness". Early symptoms are similar to malaria and include the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and both internal and external bleeding.
Is there a cure?
There is no known cure or vaccine for the virus and the disease kills between 25 and 90 per cent of its victims. The only treatment doctors can offer is "supportive intensive care" such as rehydration of infected patients under strict quarantine.
Where did it come from?
Scientists believe it was initially present in wild animals such as fruit bats living in tropical rainforests in equatorial Africa. The disease spread to humans when they came into contact with the organs, blood or other bodily fluids from infected animals through hunting.
How is it spread?
Ebola is highly infectious. It can be transmitted through contact with the blood, bodily fluids and organs, including skin, of sufferers or through indirect contact with environments contaminated by the disease. The disease can also have a long incubation period, up to three weeks, which allows it to spread rapidly before diagnosis and quarantine can take place.
Source: http://www.theweek.co.uk
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