Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
Page originally published 11/25/2024.
Ebola is a rare, but serious and often deadly, disease caused by the Ebola virus. Ebola is found in certain parts of Africa. People can become infected if living or visiting those areas. The viruses that cause Ebola disease pose little risk to travelers or the general public. Healthcare providers and family members caring for someone with Ebola disease without proper infection control methods have the highest risk of infection.
See below, or click the following links, to learn more:
The CDC recommends that U.S. residents avoid nonessential travel to
African countries affected by Ebola outbreaks. If you must travel to
these areas, there are ways to protect yourself when traveling to
regions where Ebola is known to occur:
Avoid contact with body fluids from people and animals, including:
- Blood and body fluids, like urine, feces, saliva, sweat, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, semen, and vaginal fluid from people who are sick.
- Semen from someone who has recovered from Ebola disease, until testing shows that the virus is no longer in the semen.
- Clothes, bedding, needles, medical equipment, or other items that may have touched an infected person's blood or body fluids.
- The body of someone who is suspected or confirmed to have had Ebola disease (such as during a funeral or burial practices).
- Bats, forest antelopes, primates, and blood, fluids, or raw meat from these or unknown animals.
Also, wear protective equipment if you come in contact with people who are sick, or have died, from Ebola disease, including their blood and bodily fluids, or objects covered with their blood or body fluids.
Ebola virus can spread from animal to animal, animal to human, and human to human.
- The natural source or reservoir of Ebola virus is unknown, but it is believed that bats carrying the virus may spread it to other animals and humans. Humans may get Ebola while hunting or preparing meat from infected animals.
- Ebola can be transmitted to other people through contact with blood or body fluids from someone who has symptoms of, or died from, Ebola.
Symptoms of Ebola may show up 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus. On average, people may begin to show symptoms 8-10 days after exposure.
Early symptoms, known as “dry” symptoms, include:
- Weakness and fatigue (tiredness),
- Fever,
- Aches and pains in the muscles and joints,
- Severe headache, and/or
- Sore throat.
Later symptoms, known as “wet” symptoms, include:
- Loss of appetite,
- Unexplained bleeding,
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting), and/or
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, red eyes, skin rash, hiccups, and seizures.
If a person has been exposed to the Ebola virus and becomes sick, laboratory tests may be used to determine if the person has Ebola.
There are two treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Supportive care, such as fluid and electrolytes; medicine to support blood pressure, reduce vomiting and diarrhea, and to manage fever and pain; and treatment for other infections, if they occur. These improve the chance of survival.
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
For more information, contact the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499 or send us an e-mail.
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