Related Subjects:
|Fever in a traveller
|Malaria Falciparum
|Malaria Non-Falciparum
|Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF)
|Lassa fever
|Dengue
|Marburg virus disease
|AIDS HIV
|Yellow fever
|Ebola Virus
|Leptospirosis
| Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever
|African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness)
|American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas Disease)
|Incubation Periods
|Notifiable Diseases UK
Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo
ℹ️ About
- A viral haemorrhagic fever. Rare and deadly
- Affects people and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees)
- Source suspected to be animal-borne, with bats being the most likely source.
- Spread is through direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from EVD through direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from EVD
- Virus enters via broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth
Geography
🧬 Aetiology
- Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus)
- Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus)
- Tai Forest virus (Tai Forest ebolavirus, formerly Cote d'Ivoire ebolavirus)
- Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus)
- Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), known to cause disease in nonhuman primates and pigs, but not in people
Clinical
- IP: 2-21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.
- Fever, Severe headache, Muscle pain, Weakness
- Fatigue, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Abdominal (stomach) pain
- Unexplained haemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
🔎 Investigations
- Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing
IgM ELISA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Virus isolation
- Later in disease course or after recovery - IgM and IgG antibodies
💊 Management
- Providing intravenous fluids (IV) and balancing electrolytes (body salts).
- Maintaining oxygen status and blood pressure.
- Treating other infections if they occur
- Recovery depends on supportive care and immune response.
- Virus can remain in semen for 9 months
References
