Ebola virus infection

A severe, often fatal, zoonotic infection caused by a virus of the Filoviridae family (genus Ebolavirus ).

Human-to-human transmission occurs via contact with body fluids from infected patients. The incubation period after infection is 1 to 21 days (typically 5-12 days), and patients are not considered infectious until they develop symptoms.

Initial stages of infection are non-specific, which makes the differential diagnosis broad; therefore, clinical suspicion of the infection with prompt isolation is very important in the context of a history of exposure.

Management is centred around supportive care and infection control. The lack of any specific antiviral treatment or approved vaccine makes treatment difficult; however, several potential therapeutic agents are undergoing accelerated development, and clinical studies are either planned or ongoing.

Case fatality rates range from 20% to 90%. Survivors often have prolonged ill health with significant disability.

The risk of sexual transmission from male survivors may persist for at least 9 months.

As there is a high likelihood of infected people travelling, all countries should have tested and practised protocols ready for screening and managing patients.