Ebola: How It Spreads, Its Symptoms, and the Treatments and Vaccine Available

Ebola, or Ebola virus disease (EVD), is a hemorrhagic fever — rare but often deadly — caused by several types of Ebola virus. Outbreaks happen from time to time, mostly in Africa.

How it spreads

Researchers believe the virus first passes from an infected animal to a person. After that it spreads between people through direct contact with:

• the blood or body fluids of someone who is sick with Ebola or has died of it
• objects — clothes, bedding, needles, medical equipment — contaminated with those fluids
• semen (through oral, vaginal or anal sex) from a man who has recovered — the virus can stay in semen and other body fluids after symptoms are gone

People who are infected cannot spread Ebola until they have symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms appear 2 to 21 days after exposure — on average 8 to 10 days. They usually include:

• fever and headache
• joint and muscle aches
• weakness and fatigue
• sore throat
• stomach and gut symptoms: belly pain, diarrhea, vomiting
• loss of appetite
• unexplained bleeding or bruising

Some people also have a rash, red eyes or hiccups.

Diagnosis

Early Ebola looks like more common illnesses, so it is hard to diagnose in the first few days. If someone has symptoms and may have been exposed, a provider can order a blood test — though the virus may not show up for a few days after symptoms begin.

Treatment

In the United States, two medicines are approved for Ebola caused by one type of virus, Zaire ebolavirus. They are monoclonal antibodies — lab-made immune system proteins — and have not been tested against other types.

With or without them, supportive care improves the chance of survival, especially given early:

• fluids and electrolytes
• medicines to support blood pressure, reduce vomiting and diarrhea, and manage fever and pain
• oxygen
• treatment of other complications or infections

People who recover can have lasting effects such as fatigue, muscle aches, eye and vision problems and stomach pain.

Prevention

One vaccine is approved in the United States against Zaire ebolavirus. It may be given to health care providers who are or may be treating Ebola patients, and to people who work with live Ebola virus in labs.

If you live in or travel to an area where Ebola may be present, avoid contact with:

• the blood and body fluids of people who are sick
• semen from a man who has recovered, until testing shows the virus is gone
• items that may be contaminated with an Ebola patient's blood or fluids
• bats, forest antelopes and nonhuman primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees — including their blood, fluids and meat

Sources

Based on "Ebola," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, with its summary from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.