NEWS: An outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the supplied report citing over 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.

ABOUT EBOLA

• Disease: Severe viral haemorrhagic fever affecting humans and non-human primates.
• First identified: 1976 in Nzara (South Sudan) and Yambuku (DRC).
• Named after the Ebola River.
• Natural reservoir: Fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae.

TRANSMISSION

• Spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials and bodies of deceased patients.
• Does not spread through routine airborne transmission.
• Incubation period: 2–21 days.
• Patients become contagious after symptoms appear.

SYMPTOMS

• Initial: Fever, fatigue, muscle pain and headache.
• Later: Vomiting, diarrhoea and organ dysfunction.
• Severe cases: Internal bleeding and multi-organ failure.

SIX EBOLAVIRUS SPECIES

• Zaire
• Sudan
• Bundibugyo
• Taï Forest
• Reston

Bombali