What Is the Ebola Virus? (Cont.)

Outbreaks of Ebola Virus

Ebola outbreaks typically appear sporadically. Confirmed cases of Ebola virus infections have been reported in:
 
  • The Republic of the Congo
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Gabon
  • Uganda
  • The Ivory Coast
  • Sudan.
     

Ebola Virus in the United States

No human cases of Ebola virus infection have ever been reported in the United States. Ebola-Reston virus caused severe illness and death in monkeys imported to research facilities in the United States and Italy from the Philippines; during these Ebola outbreaks, several research workers became infected with the virus, but did not become ill.
 

Transmission of Ebola Virus

Once transmission of Ebola virus occurs to the first human, scientists do know how it is spread from human to human. They know that transmission of Ebola occurs through direct contact with patients who have Ebola, or through contact with their body fluids (such as blood or secretions). Transmission of Ebola occurs most often when an infected person is in the late stages of Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
 

How Do Outbreaks of Ebola Virus Begin?

Just as scientists are unsure of the animal host for the Ebola virus, they are also unsure how an Ebola virus outbreak occurs; however, researchers have hypothesized that the first patient with Ebola becomes infected with Ebola virus through contact with an infected animal.
 

Ebola Virus as a Biological Weapon

In the aftermath of the events of September and October, 2001, there is heightened concern that the Ebola virus might be used as an agent of bioterrorism. The deliberate release of Ebola virus is now regarded as a possibility, and the United States is taking precautions to deal with this possibility.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls the Ebola virus a Category A agent. Category A agents are believed to present the greatest potential threat for harming public health, and have a moderate to high potential for large-scale dissemination (spread). The public is generally more aware of category A agents, and broad-based public health preparedness efforts are necessary. Other Category A agents include the following:
 
  • Smallpox
  • Plague
  • Anthrax
  • Tularemia (disease transmitted through the bite of an infected insect or animal)
  • Botulism (food poisoning from ingesting improperly canned, or preserved, food).
     
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD