Interesting facts about Ebola Virus

1. EBOV carries a negative-sense RNA genome in virions that are cylindrical/tubular, and contain viral envelope, matrix, and nucleocapsid components.
2. Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Sudan, and in Democratic Republic of Congo with 151 and 280 deaths respectively.
3. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
4. Ebola Virus is not transmitted through air. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
5. First picture of Ebola Virus was made in 1976 with the magnification of 160,000X
6. There are 5 strains of Ebola virus
   a. Ebola Gabon
   b. Ebola Reston
   c. Ebola Zaire
   d. Ebola Sudan
   e. Ebola Ivory Coast
   Four of the strains can cause severe illness in humans and animals. Reston virus, has caused illness in some animals, but not in humans. Ebola Zaire was discovered first among five of these strains.
7. Typically, symptoms appear 8-10 days after exposure to the virus, but the incubation period can span two to 21 days.
8. Because of its high mortality rate, EBOV is also listed a select agent, World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Pathogen (requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment).

West Africa 2014 Outbreak

1. The outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013 but was not detected until March 2014.
2. The first suspect was a 2-year-old boy who died on Dec. 6, just a few days after falling ill in a village in Guéckédou, in southeastern Guinea.

Interesting facts about Ebola Virus