Ebola virus history origin

The discovery of Bombali virus adds further support for bats as hosts of ebolaviruses external icon. Nature Microbiology. Clinical Excellence for Nurse Practitioners. Vol 2. Accessed June 20, J Infect Dis Suppl 1 : S Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Ebola Ebola Virus Disease. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. History of Ebola Virus Disease. Minus Related Pages. Ebola virus disease EVD is a deadly disease with occasional outbreaks that occur mostly on the African continent.

EVD most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It is caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus Ebolavirus :. Reston virus can cause disease in nonhuman primates and pigs, but there have not been cases in people. Bombali virus was first identified in bats in , and experts do not know yet if it causes disease in either animals or people.

Ebola virus was first discovered in near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the virus has been infecting people from time to time, leading to outbreaks in several African countries. Scientists do not know where Ebola virus comes from. The United States also implemented enhanced entry screening for travelers coming from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali by routing them to designated airports better able to assess travelers for risk.

During the height of the response, CDC trained 24, healthcare workers in West Africa on infection prevention and control practices. In addition, laboratory capacity was expanded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone with 24 laboratories able to test for Ebola virus by the end of The impact this epidemic had on the world, and particularly West Africa, is significant.

There were an additional 36 cases and 15 deaths that occurred when the outbreak spread outside of these three countries. The table below shows the distribution of cases and deaths in countries with widespread transmission and countries affected by the epidemic. Graphs of reported cases , called epidemic curves, show the rate incidence of new, probable, and confirmed cases over the duration of the outbreak in the three West African countries with widespread transmission, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Healthcare workers caring for patients with EVD were among those at highest risk for contracting the disease. The epidemic also had a great impact on children. Similarly, the countries experienced a substantial loss in private sector growth, decline in agricultural production leading to concerns about food security, and a decrease in cross-border trade as restrictions on movements, goods, and services increased.

While the spread of EVD in West Africa has been controlled, additional cases may continue to occur from time to time.

However, because of ongoing surveillance and strengthened response capabilities, the affected countries now have the experience and tools to rapidly identify cases and limit the spread of the disease. CDC no longer recommends that U. Although there is believed to be no risk of EVD to travelers in these countries, travelers should, as usual, avoid contact with sick people, dead bodies, or blood and body fluids.

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Ebola virus disease EVD is a severe disease caused by Ebola virus, a member of the filovirus family, which occurs in humans and other primates.

Between and no cases or outbreaks were detected, however since that time outbreaks have been recognised with increasing frequency see table below. Over 28, cases were recorded. Several research workers became infected with the virus during these outbreaks, but did not become ill.

Investigations traced the source of all outbreaks caused by RESTV to one export facility in the Philippines, but how the facility was contaminated was not determined. A number of workers developed antibodies but none had had any symptoms. A 6th species of ebolavirus was discovered in bats in Sierra Leone in , and named Bombali ebolavirus. It is not yet known if this species is pathogenic for humans.

In Africa between and , outbreaks of EVD primarily occurred in remote villages close to tropical rainforests in Central and West Africa. In , Ebola outbreaks occurred for the first time in West Africa Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone , and in these countries there was intense transmission in urban areas.

See information on current Ebola outbreaks. A total of 8 people developed antibodies but did not become ill. Antibodies were detected in 6 workers on the farms, but none had clinical illness.

Ebola is believed to be zoonotic, however, the natural reservoir is unknown, despite extensive investigations.

Non-human primates have been a source of human infection, however, they are not thought to be the reservoir as they develop severe, fatal illness when infected. High numbers of animal carcasses were noted in surrounding areas prior to outbreaks in Gabon and DRC , and recovered carcasses were infected with a variety of strains of Ebola virus suggesting they were not the reservoir but had been infected by more than one source.