- Update September 30, 2014: The US has diagnosed its first case of the Ebola
- Ebola has infected more than 6,500 people across West Africa and killed more than 3,000.
- Stay up to date with the latest on the Ebola outbreak
Aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has called the latest Ebola outbreak an "unprecedented epidemic".
Ebola has no treatment and no vaccines with a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent. It's the most lethal outbreak since the virus was discovered almost 40 years ago.
Ebola has infected more than 6, 500 people across five West African countries and killed more than 3,000.
The spread of the disease comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) met in an emergency session in Geneva to decide whether to declare an international crisis.
What is Ebola?
The Ebola is a virus that causes the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans. It is one of the most deadly diseases in the world, with a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola first occurred in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
What are the symptoms?
In the beginning, the symptoms of Ebola are similar to that of people who have the flu, said Dr Myrto Schaefer, Director of the Medical Unit at Doctors Without Borders in Australia.
After an incubation period of about two to 21 days, the virus can cause headaches, severe fevers and muscle pain.
As the disease progresses, it can then lead to haemorrhagic fevers, which causes internal and external bleeding, for example bloody diarrhoea and bleeding from the nose.
How common is the disease?
Ebola is rare, but when it occurs, it can cause up to 90 per cent of infected patients to die.
"It’s not a common disease, but whenever and wherever it occurs, it is an emergency," said Dr Schaefer. "Therefore we have to act rapidly."
How is it transmitted?
Ebola is transmitted through human-to-human contact via bodily fluids, for example by sneezing, blood contact, secretions and so on.
"It’s a very contagious disease. Together with the Ministry Health and the WHO, we look for any kind of symptom and isolate them when it’s necessary," said Dr Schaefer.
How do you treat Ebola?
Ebola has no known cure. There are no treatments and no vaccines that can be used.
Dr Schaefer said the only thing doctors can do is treat the patient symptomatically and isolate them to prevent the further spread of disease. By doing so, doctors are able to reduce Ebola's very high mortality rate.
"There is no specific curative treatment, like an antibiotic. So what we can do is treat the patient symptomatically, ensure that they’re not suffering, replace fluids that they’re losing," she said.
"And at the same time, make sure the community is protected – which means that any patients that arrive in our facilities are put out in isolation tents.
"On top of that we have to be careful with regards to health care providers, that they are correctly protected and wearing everything from goggles, gloves, aprons, boots in order not to get infected themselves."
Is there a way to prevent or reduce the risk of Ebola?
As there is no vaccine or treatment for Ebola, people need to be quarantined immediately to contain the spread of the disease.
"As soon as you identify one case, you start isolating and containing the disease from spreading," Dr Schaefer said.
She said previous Ebola outbreaks occurred in remote areas in the DRC and Uganda, which made it easier to contain. However in Guinea, the epidemic has now reached Conakry, the nation’s capital.
"I hope the worst case scenario won’t happen. But we’re talking about a very deadly strain of the virus, we’re talking about a weak health system, we’re talking about a highly contagious disease, and we’re talking about a big city," said Dr Schaefer. "There is also a risk, of course, of panic spreading."
Raising awareness of the disease in the community is one way to reduce the transfer of Ebola. The WHO recommends that during an outbreak, public health workers need to educate the community about:
- Reducing the risks of wildlife-to-human infections and the handling of raw meat.
- Reducing the risks of human-to-human transmission via close contact with infected persons.
- Containing and quarantining the disease, especially regarding the proper and safe burial of people who have died from Ebola.
Listen: Q&A with Dr Myrto Schaefer, Director of the Medical Unit at Doctors without Borders in Australia.
Is it safe to travel during an outbreak?
The risk of infection for travelers is very low since person-to-person transmission results from direct contact with the body fluids or secretions of an infected patient, according to the WHO.
- Travellers should avoid all contact with infected patients.
- Health workers travelling to affected areas should strictly follow WHO-recommended infection control guidance.
- Anyone who has stayed in areas where cases were recently reported should be aware of the symptoms of infection and seek medical attention at the first sign of illness.
- Clinicians caring for travelers returning from affected areas with compatible symptoms are advised to consider the possibility of Ebola virus disease.
