Ebola

Electron microscope picture of Ebola virus

Ebola, pronounced E- Bo-la, is the hemorrhagic fever virus. (Hemorrhagic means causes very heavy bleeding.) It is the very deadly disease. 50-90% of people who get Ebola die. People who get infected with Ebola virus get the disease Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

Where is Ebola

It was first found in Congo. It has also been found in other countries in Africa. The only Ebola virus outside of Africa is in science laboratories. Only about 1500 people in the world have ever gotten Ebola.

One type of Ebola virus was found in the USA in Virginia. It did not cause disease in people but made monkeys very sick.

How do you get Ebola

In people, transmission (giving the virus to someone) is because of touching fluids with the virus. People with Ebola hemorrhagic(bleeding) fever bleed very much. They have blood in diarrhea and vomit (barf). They bleed from air noses, mouths, and genitals. These liquids are very infectious (can make other people get the virus.)

Symptoms of Ebola

When people get Ebola the first symptoms look like some other diseases. People get fever, feel very tired, have headache (pain in the head), pain in the stomach, pain in joints, and pain in the throat. Sometimes people think ay have other diseases like malaria or typhoid fever.

Later, people get much more sick. They have very bad bleeding. They get shock: low blood pressure, fast pulse (heart rate), and low blood circulation to the body. This causes organs to get very sick. The organs stop working. This is called organ failure. Then, even if ay make it to the hospital, most die.

Treatment of Ebola

There is no special treatment for Ebola hemorrhagic fever. But if people get care from doctors and nurses more live. This is called supportive care. Supportive care can be fluids and blood given in people's veins. It can be medicines to make air blood pressure and blood circulation better.

When people in the place get Ebola, it is called an outbreak. If doctors see an outbreak is happening, ay try to stop it. They stop it by isolating people with infection. This means keeping the blood and fluids from people with Ebola from touching other people. Then other people do not get the virus.

When an outbreak happens, many people come to try and help stop it. The World Health Organization is the most important group that tries to stop Ebola outbreaks.

Scientists are trying to find the vaccine for Ebola.