Ebola Virus Disease

Abstract

Ebola virus disease is a severe, acute zoonotic viral syndrome with a high fatality rate in human and nonhuman primates. A virus belonging to genus Ebolavirus, a member of Filoviridae family is responsible for the disease. Animal to human transmission may occur through hunting and raw consumption of the reservoir species or close contact with infected non-human primates, and then, the virus spreads in between human population. Human to human transmission occurs mainly via direct contact with the blood or bodily secretions of the infected people. Since its fi rst discovery in 1976, outbreaks have been intermittantly reported from Central Africa. The ongoing epidemic has begun in the western part of Africa in Guinea at the end of 2013, and then, spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone and affected many countries. The current epidemic is the largest outbreak with regards to the number of human cases and fatalities and affected areas. Currently, there is no vaccine or special treatment approved for human use. The present review aimed to overview the various aspects of Ebola virus disease