Ebola in West Africa: be aware and prepare

Excerpt

Ebola virus along with Marburg virus forms the family Filoviridae, which causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates. Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD), previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever [1] (Fig. 1). Since its discovery in 1976 until 2013 there were 24 recognized EVD outbreaks centred on central and west equatorial Af rica totaling around 2,100 documented cases [2]. The natural reservoir is believed to be fruit bats [3]. The mode of transmission to humans is likely to be through bush meat, and then from human to human via direct contact with bodily secretions, particularly blood and gastrointestinal fluids (the virus can also be detected in saliva, semen, breast milk, and other fluids). The case fatality rate in previous outbreaks has approached 90 % [1, 4].

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