Ebola Information
Oct 1, 2014 Issues: Health Care
Ebola Fact Sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Information from the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding the Texas patient who tested positive for Ebola.
Texas hospital patient tested positive for Ebola, making the patient the first case diagnosed in the United States. Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease caused by the Ebola virus.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects, such as needles. It cannot be spread simply by being near someone who is infected. People only become contagious after they begin to have symptoms.
Symptoms of Ebola include sudden fever, sometimes with a headache and joint and muscle aches. Other symptoms may include:
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Lack of appetite
Some patients may also experience rash, red eyes, hiccups, cough, sore throat, chest pain, problems breathing, problems swallowing, or bleeding inside and outside the body.
Symptoms usually appear 8 to 10 days after exposure, but may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure.
The severity of the disease varies, but more than 50% of patients with Ebola have died during past outbreaks. There is no cure or vaccine; however, some people can recover with intensive treatment in a hospital setting.
Following are some resources on Ebola:
Questions & Answers (CDC)
Advice for Travelers (WHO)
Guidance for Airlines (CDC)
Guidance for Hospitals (CDC)
Guidance for Health Care Workers (CDC)
To visit the Texas Department of State Health Services website, click here.
