Ebola disease

What is Ebola disease?

Ebola disease is a rare but often deadly infectious disease in humans and non-human primates (including chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys). There are 4 types of viruses known to cause Ebola disease in humans: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Tai Forest virus, and Bundibugyo virus. The viruses that cause Ebola disease can spread from animal to animal, animal to human, and human to human through body fluids or objects contaminated with body fluids. The natural source of Ebola viruses is unknown, but it is believed that African fruit bats are able to transmit the viruses to certain animals and humans.

Learn more about how Ebola spreads.

Where is Ebola virus found?

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, there have been multiple outbreaks of Ebola disease among people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Learn more about the history of Ebola outbreaks.

Who is at greatest risk of getting Ebola disease?

To date, there have been no reported cases of Ebola disease in California.

Ebola is of greatest concern to people who travel to areas of the world where an outbreak of Ebola is currently happening.

Healthcare workers caring for someone who is sick with Ebola disease are at greatest risk unless they follow proper infection control measures.
Family and friends in close contact with someone who has Ebola disease are also at risk of getting infected.

How do people get Ebola disease?

From infected animals

People can become infected with Ebola viruses through contact with infected animals — specifically fruit bats, non-human primates (including apes, monkeys, and gorillas) and forest antelope — in areas where Ebola is known to occur.

Fruit bats are thought to spread Ebola viruses to other animals (primates and antelope), and humans can become infected when hunting or preparing (cutting or cleaning) meat from these infected animals.

From other people who are sick with Ebola

Once a person is infected from an animal, Ebola can spread from person to person. A person can become infected when a break in their skin or the mucous membranes in their eyes, nose, or mouth have direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola disease.

Direct contact includes:

Touching the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease (body fluids include: urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, and semen)
Touching objects (such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment) contaminated with blood or body fluids from a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease
Sexual contact (vaginal, anal, or oral) with semen from a person who has recently recovered from Ebola disease

While Ebola virus can spread through vaginal fluids from a person who is sick with Ebola disease, there is no evidence that Ebola can spread through sex or other contact with vaginal fluids after the person has recovered.

People sick with Ebola disease can only spread the virus to others when they start having symptoms. Rarely, people who survive Ebola disease can spread the virus even after their symptoms go away, for example through sexual contact with semen from a person who has recently recovered from having Ebola disease.

There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects can spread the viruses that cause Ebola disease.

What are the symptoms of Ebola disease?

Early (“dry") symptoms of Ebola disease usually appear 2-21 days after contact with a virus that causes Ebola:

Fever
Severe headache
Weakness and fatigue (tiredness)
Aches and pains in the muscles and joints
Sore throat

As a person becomes sicker (4-5 days later), "wet" symptoms of Ebola disease appear:

Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Unexplained bleeding

Ebola disease can be very serious and cause death. 

Ebola disease symptoms

The symptoms of Ebola disease can be confused with other illnesses associated with international travel, including malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid fever. If you have traveled outside of the United States and feel sick, talk to a healthcare provider. Be sure to tell the provider about your travel history. If you have recently traveled to an area with an Ebola outbreak or area with reported Ebola cases, follow these steps:

Monitor yourself for fever and other symptoms of Ebola disease for 21 days after leaving an area where there is an Ebola outbreak.
Seek medical care immediately if you develop symptoms of Ebola disease. Before going to the doctor's office, emergency room, or other clinical setting, contact the healthcare provider by phone and tell them about your recent travel and symptoms. This will help healthcare providers prepare their facility and protect other people from getting infected.
If you have questions about Ebola disease symptoms or self-monitoring, contact your local health department.

How is Ebola disease treated?

If a doctor or healthcare provider determines that a person has Ebola disease, certain treatments are available depending on the type of virus that is making the person sick. There are currently two U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for Ebola disease caused by Ebola virus (only), but none for Ebola disease caused by other viruses (e.g., Sudan virus). Early supportive care at a hospital can improve the chances of someone surviving Ebola disease.

Supportive care includes:

Proper hydration and electrolyte management
Managing fever, vomiting, and diarrhea
Offering oxygen support if needed
Treating any other infections that a person might have

How can Ebola disease be prevented?

A person who is living or working in an area where Ebola is known to occur (especially anyone involved in health care work) can take steps to protect themselves:

Avoid contact with blood and body fluids from people, animals, and contaminated objects

Body fluids include urine, feces, saliva, sweat, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, semen, and vaginal fluid from people who are sick or have died from Ebola disease.
Animals include bats, primates, forest antelope, or other unknown animals and their blood, fluids, and raw meat.

Wear protective equipment

It is very important to wear personal protective equipment if you need to come in contact with people who are sick with or have died from Ebola disease or objects covered with their blood or body fluids.

The FDA has approved a vaccine (ERVEBO®) for the prevention of Ebola disease caused by Ebola virus only (not other viruses that cause Ebola). A healthcare provider should determine if this vaccine is right for certain people. Learn more about ERVEBO®.

Learn more about Ebola disease prevention.

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