Ebola Virus: Key Facts and Information

Recent Concerns:

• The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concerns about the risk of power cuts in a laboratory at the national biomedical research institute, which could potentially jeopardize efforts to combat the virus.

About Ebola Virus

• Cause: Ebola is caused by orthoebolaviruses (formerly ebolavirus), first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Host: The natural hosts of the Ebola virus are fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family.
• Transmission:
  • Ebola is introduced to humans through close contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or organs of infected animals (e.g., fruit bats, monkeys, gorillas).
  • It spreads human-to-human through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, including those of the deceased.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms typically appear 2 to 21 days after exposure.
  • Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding, and organ failure.
  • The average fatality rate is approximately 50%.
• Treatment:
  • No known cure for Ebola. Experimental treatments are being tested, including FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (Inmazeb and Ebanga) for the Ebola Zaire strain.
  • Supportive care includes maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, as well as blood and plasma transfusions to manage bleeding.
• Recovery: Recovery largely depends on early treatment, virus exposure levels, and the individual's immune response.