Ebola hemorrhagic fever

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal disease in humans. It is usually transmitted to humans through direct contact with blood, tissue, body fluids and secretions from an infected animal or human.

The causative agent is classified in the genus Ebolavirus of the Filoviridae family. Filoviruses are filamentous enveloped viruses containing a non-segmented, negative-strand genomic RNA of approximately 19 kilobases.

The virus in the blood or body fluids can enter another person’s body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes, such as eyes, nose, or mouth. The viruses that cause Ebola are often spread among family and friends because they are in close contact with blood or body fluids when caring for ill persons.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever's complex pathophysiology, characterized by immunosuppression as well as stimulation of an intense inflammatory response, results in a syndrome similar to septic shock.

Initial symptoms are sudden onset of fever and fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. Usually followed by: vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, spontaneous bleeding internally and externally (in some cases).

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever

Ebola virus disease

Ebola virus disease is one of the deadliest ailments known to mankind due to its high mortality rate accompanying with the disease. Mortality is the result of multi-organ failure and severe bleeding complications.

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