What is the ebola virus

Not Medical Advice: Ebola virus disease previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of the world’s most dangerous diseases. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids, blood and tissues of infected animals or people.

Ebola first occurred in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village located near the Ebola River, from which the illness takes its name.

Symptoms of the Ebola virus appear 2 to 21 days after someone is infected. As the virus spreads throughout the body's cells, it damages the organs and immune system. Eventually, Ebola causes levels of blood-clotting cells, named platelets, to fall, which can lead to severe bleeding.

Many of the early signs of Ebola look like the flu or other mild illnesses. They include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Weakness
• Diarrhea

As the illness gets worse, persons who are infected may develop:

• Bleeding inside and outside of the body
• Rash
• Trouble breathing

Right now there is no real cure or treatment for Ebola. Physicians try to manage people's signs by giving them:

• Fluids and electrolytes through a vein
• Nutrition
• Oxygen

Death rates for outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever, including Ebola, are tragically high — more than 90 percent of those infected die. Yet, no vaccine exists to prevent these terrifying illnesses, which even cause bleeding from the eyes.

One important thing scientists know about hemorrhagic fevers is they are caused by filoviruses, an emerging family of pathogens. Now a team of researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases discovered a small molecule drug that inhibits infection of filoviruses in human cells. Learn more at Medical Daily.