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Ebola is a serious contagious viral disease with a high mortality rate. The natural reservoir for the virus is thought to be a fruit bat native to Africa. Both humans and non-human primates are susceptible to infection. The disease was initially discovered in 1976 after two separate outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred in different areas of Central Africa. The first occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the Ebola River, and the second occurred approximately 500 miles away, in South Sudan.
Ebola virus and Marburgvirus belong to the family Filoviridae and cause suppression of innate and adaptive immune responses that lead to a syndrome resembling septic shock. Six species of Ebola virus (Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo Reston, and Bombali) have been identified with four confirmed to be infectious in humans. The Reston species can cause disease in pigs and nonhuman primates but not humans. It is not yet known if the newly discovered Bombali species can cause disease in humans. The largest Ebola outbreak began in 2014 in Southeastern Guinea and was caused by the Zaire ebolavirus.
Symptoms start with a fever, headache, muscle and stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, skin bruising and bleeding. As the disease progresses, damage to the immune system as well as the body’s internal organs occur. White blood cell and platelet counts decrease and both internal and external bleeding can occur. Fatality rates from the disease have ranged from 25 to 90 percent but the average case fatality rate is estimated at 50 percent. A person can have the virus but not show any symptoms for as long as three weeks.
Persons who survive Ebola virus disease develop long-term immunity; however, health problems frequently persist upon recovery. Common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, weight gain, vision disturbances, joint and muscle pain, loss of appetite, and stomach pain. Additional long-term health issues can also include dry mouth, neck swelling, tightness of the chest, hearing problems, memory problems, tingling and pain in the hands and feet, changes in menstruation, impotence, inflammation of the testicles, decreased sex drive, sleep disturbances, inflammation of the tissues surrounding the heart, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Individuals who survive can still have the virus in their system for weeks to months afterward. In certain instances, persons who recover from Ebola can harbor the virus for several years, and even spread it on to others. In 2016, researchers discovered that an Ebola survivor transmitted the virus through sexual contact approximately 470 days after exhibiting initial symptoms of disease. This transmission was linked to several cases of disease in Liberia and Guinea.
Scientists investigating the 2021 Ebola virus outbreak in Guinea discovered that the source of the outbreak was likely a survivor of the 2014-2016 West Africa Outbreak. This hypothesis was reached after a genetic analysis revealed that the virus sequence from the current outbreak was closely related to the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola virus strain.