Ebola haemorrhagic fever is caused by the Ebola virus. There are four different strains of the virus known to man.
Ebola is transmmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or semen of infected persons. It can also be transmitted through handling of infected monkeys.
Ebola is characterized by severe haemorrhage(bleeding).Symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, failing kidney and liver functions, and both internal and external bleeding.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine for Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Most cases require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and in need of intravenous fluids to replace lost fluids and mineral salts.
Avoid direct contact with contaminated material. As its natural host is not known, not much is known about the virus.A vaccine is under development.
Ebola fever got its name from the Ebola river in Zaire where the first outbreaks occur there.The virus is a long,thread-like virus and has a crooked end("shepherd's crook). It can form many different shapes because of its long nature.Ironically, although the virus is fatal to humans, a strain of the virus is completely harmless to humans but can kill other primates.
