Written by John Steven Smith M.D

Introduction/Overview

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola Disease (EBOD) is a rare but severe disease in humans that is oftentimes fatal to a point that without treatment, it can cause death. The death rates of each case varies from 25%-90% with an average rate of 50%. It was initially discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.

The disease is caused by a group of viruses that belong to the Orthoebolaviruses genus of the filoviridae family.

There are 6 known orthoebolaviruses species as of today with 4 known to cause illness in people:

Affects humans:

• Ebola virus (Orthoebolavirus zairense) causes Ebola Virus Disease.
• Sudan virus (Orthoebolavirus sudanense) causes Sudan Virus Disease.
• Taï Forest virus (Orthoebolavirus taiense) causes Taï Forest Virus Disease.
• Bundibugyo virus (Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense) causes Bundibugyo Virus Disease.

Does not affect humans:

• Reston virus (Orthoebolavirus restonense) has caused disease in non-human primates like macaques.
• Bombali virus (Orthoebolavirus bombaliense) this virus is more identified in bats as of recently

Transmission

Ebola cannot be spread through the air, however, it is spread through being in contact with body fluids (ex. blood, urine, feces), objects, or surfaces that have been contaminated by a person with the disease or has died from the disease. It can also be spread by being in contact with infected animals (ex. fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope or porcupines) found ill or dead in the forest.

The disease cannot be transmitted before showing symptoms, and the patient will remain infectious as long as the virus is in their blood.

Symptoms

The Ebola symptoms start around 2-21 days after being infected and they usually start around 8-10 days after being exposed to it.

Symptoms include the following:

Prevention

Ebola can be prevented through these simple ways:

• Avoid contact with people who have been infected with the virus (Ex. objects that have been previously used by them, their body fluids, or themselves.)
• Avoid fluids or eating raw meat from bats, forest antelopes, and primates.
• Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when getting in contact with someone infected with Ebola.
• There are also vaccines for Ebola: Ervebo (Merck & Co.) and Zabdeno and Mvabea (Janssen Pharmaceutica).

Treatment

Currently, there are two FDA-approved treatments for Ebola, namely Inmazeb™ and Ebanga™. These are for Ebola (Orthoebolavirus zairense) specifically.

Some other treatments include:

• Fluids given through a vein (IV) to keep you hydrated.
• Supplemental oxygen to keep enough oxygen in your body.
• Dialysis to help clear waste from the blood.
• Drugs that make blood vessels narrow and raise low blood pressure (Vasopressors) and other medications to help your blood clot.

References

World Health Organization (2025), Ebola disease, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-disease

Johns Hopkins Medicine, Ebola, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/ebola

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2026), Ebola Disease Basics, https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/about/index.html