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Ebola is a fragile virus and is readily killed by soap and water, bleach, or other products such as hospital-grade quaternary ammonium or phenolic products. Heat, sunlight, ultraviolet light, E-Beam, and Gamma Rays can also destroy the virus. Health care workers who clean contaminated surfaces should wear personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, eye protection, and a face mask.
The prevention of Ebola in Africa presents many challenges. Because the identity and location of the natural reservoir of Ebola virus are unknown, there are few primary prevention measures. When cases of the disease appear, social and economic conditions frequently favor the spread of an epidemic within healthcare facilities.
Health-care providers must have training to recognize Ebola and the capability to perform diagnostic tests. They must also be ready to employ practical viral hemorrhagic fever isolation precautions, or barrier nursing techniques. These techniques include the wearing of protective clothing, such as masks, gloves, gowns, and goggles; the use of infection-control measures, including complete equipment sterilization; and the isolation of Ebola patients from contact with unprotected persons. The purpose of these techniques is to avoid any person’s contact with the blood or secretions of any patient. If a patient with Ebola dies, it is equally important that direct contact with the body of the deceased patient be prevented.
There are two treatment options that are approved by the FDA to treat Ebola caused by the Zaire ebolavirus strain. The first treatment, Inmazeb, was approved in October 2020, and is a combination of three monoclonal antibodies (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn). This product targets the glycoprotein that is present on the surface of the Ebola virus and blocks it from attaching and entering the cell. The second treatment, Ebanga, is a human monoclonal antibody that received FDA approval in December 2020. This product blocks the Ebola virus from binding to the cell receptor and prevents it from entering the cell and causing infection.
On December 19, 2019, the FDA approved ERVEBO, a genetically modified live Ebola virus vaccine for use in persons 18 years of age and older. This vaccine is manufactured by Merck and targets the Zaire ebolavirus strain. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends this vaccine for persons responding to an outbreak of Ebola, healthcare workers treating patients at federally-designated Ebola Treatment Center in the U.S., and for laboratory personnel employed at biosafety-level 4 facilities in the United States.