Ebola Virus Disease Update

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 ebola viruses. Ebola VD is a severe, highly infectious and often fatal illness. Ebola virus (EBOV) is transmitted through contact with blood or body fluids of a person who contracted or died from EVD, contaminated objects like needles and infected animals or bush meat. EVD has an incubation period of 2 to 21 days, and the infection has an acute onset without any carrier status. Currently, there is no standard treatment for EVD, so it is important to avoid infection or further spreading of the virus. Although historically the mortality of this infection exceeded 80%, modern medicine and public health measures have been able to lower this figure and reduce the impact of EBOV on individuals and communities. Its treatment involves early, aggressive supportive care with rehydration. Clinicians should consider the possibility of EVD in persons with travel or exposure history with the incubation period presenting constitutional symptoms in order to promptly identify diseased patients, and prevent further spreading of the disease. Prevention includes decreasing the spread of disease from infected animals to humans by checking animals for infection, killing and properly disposing of their bodies, proper cooking of meat and wearing protective clothing and washing of hands. Samples of bodily fluids and tissues of infected person should be handled with special caution. There is no specific treatment for the disease; however supportive treatment including oral rehydration therapy or intravenous fluids may be helpful. Efforts are ongoing to develop a vaccine; however, none yet exists.