Unpredictable hemorrhagic fever disease outbreaks are caused by different species of Ebola viruses, as well as Marburg virus associated with 90% fatality rates. Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is an infectious disease of animal that can be transmitted to both human and non-human primates.
The first epidemic of EHF occurred in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1976, 25 Ebola outbreaks occurred mostly in central Africa. The term viral hemorrhagic fever refers to a variety of viral diseases characterized by bleeding and fever in humans. This syndrome is usually caused by RNA viruses of the families Flaviviridae, Filoviridae, Arenaviridae and Bunyaviridae.
The incubation period of Ebola is less than 21 days. Ebola virus infections are depicted by immune suppression and a systemic inflammatory response that leads to damage of the vascular, coagulation and immune systems, causing multi-organ failure and shock.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. The animal-to-human spread happen when humans come into contact with tissues and bodily fluids of infected animals.
Ebola virus disease
