Ebolavirosis: a 2014 Review for Clinicians

Abstract

Ebolavirosis, like Marburgvirosis, are African zoonosis, and for both the primary animal reservoir are bats. It is a typical acute haemorrhagic fever, characterized by a high lethality rate. In an outbreak, the human index case became infected after contact with an infected animal or its blood, in most cases during hunting. Secondary human cases became infected after close contact with another human case, with infected human fluids or with a recent dead corps of a human case. These viruses are easily transmitted by direct contact or by contact with patient body fluids, mainly blood. As such, health professionals working under suboptimal conditions usually constitute a large share of Ebola victims. At the moment, the treatment is only supportive, but several drugs are almost ready to be tried in human trials. There is no vaccine approved, but again there are several very promising in the pipeline.

Keywords: Ebolavirus; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/diagnosis; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/epidemiology; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/ epidemiology/prevention & control; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/epidemiology/therapy.