A rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains of the family Filoviridae, genus Ebolavirus found in several African countries. Symptoms of Ebola include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising). Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days. Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose or mouth) with blood or body fluids (including urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola or objects such as clothes, bedding, needles and syringes or medical equipment that have been contaminated with the virus, infected fruit bats or primates (apes and monkeys). Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient's immune response. Experimental vaccines and treatments for Ebola are under development, but they have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown.
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