What is an Ebola or Marburg virus infection?
Ebola and Marburg virus diseases are rare but can cause serious illness and death. They are caused by the Ebola or Marburg virus. A person who is sick with one of these viruses can spread the infection to others. These are known as hemorrhagic viruses, because they can cause severe bleeding.
These viruses started in Africa, and that is where most cases of the disease have happened. Infections have occurred in other parts of the world when people with the disease traveled there.
For the most up-to-date news about Ebola or Marburg outbreaks, check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/ebola/about/ or www.cdc.gov/marburg/about/ or call them at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
How are the viruses spread?
How a human first got one of these viruses is not known. Most experts think a person got the virus from an animal.
These viruses can be spread among people through direct contact with:
- The body fluids of someone who has the disease or who died from it. Body fluids include blood, urine, saliva, feces, vomit, semen, mucus, breast milk, and sweat. Health care workers, caregivers, and people who prepare bodies for funerals need to protect themselves from getting infected with the virus.
- Objects that have the virus on them. These include needles and syringes, bedding, and clothing.
You cannot catch the Ebola or Marburg virus just by breathing the same air as an infected person. For the virus to spread to you, body fluids from an infected person have to enter your body. The virus can enter your body through broken skin (even tiny cuts you cannot see) or mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
People infected with the virus cannot spread it until they have symptoms.
What are the symptoms?
The first symptoms usually feel like the flu. They include:
- Fever.
- Chills.
- Feeling tired.
You may also have:
- Headaches.
- Muscle pain.
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting and belly pain.
- A rash.
- Bleeding or bruising. Some patients may have tiny purple spots on their skin, blood in their feces, or bleeding from their mouth, eyes, or nose. This usually happens as the illness gets worse.
The symptoms appear suddenly from 2 to 21 days after you are exposed to the virus. But most people see symptoms start in 8 to 10 days.
How is an Ebola or Marburg virus infection treated?
There is no medicine that cures a Marburg virus infection. However, there are two different medicines to treat an Ebola virus infection.
For either infection, you will be treated in a hospital and separated from other patients to prevent the spread of the infection. Treatment may include:
- Fluids through a vein (using an I.V., or intravenous, line).
- Medicines to treat fever, pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Watching oxygen levels and blood pressure.
- Blood transfusions, if needed.
- Treating other infections if they occur.
- Help with breathing, if needed, in an intensive care unit (ICU).
How can you prevent infection?
- If you work in health care or a laboratory and you work with Ebola patients or the Ebola virus, you may be able to get the Ebola vaccine. Family or friends who have been around people with an Ebola infection may also be able to get the vaccine.
- Wash your hands often.
- Avoid close contact with people who have the disease or who died from it.
- Tell your doctor if you have touched the body fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva, feces, vomit, semen, breast milk, mucus, or sweat, of someone who may be sick with Ebola or Marburg virus infection.
- Don't touch any objects that may have touched the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
- Avoid areas where many people have the disease. Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/ebola/about/ or www.cdc.gov/marburg/about/.
- If you travel to West Africa:
- Avoid hospitals or clinics where the disease is being treated. Call the U.S. embassy or consulate for advice if you need medical care.
- Don't buy or eat wild animals ("bush meat") in local markets. If you're not sure what an animal is or whether it's wild, don't buy it.
When should you call a doctor?
If you have symptoms of the illness, do not go to a health facility without calling first. Calling first will help the care team take better care of you and protect others from the illness.
Contact a doctor now if:
- You have flu-like symptoms and you may have been exposed to the virus.
- You have been in close contact with someone who is infected with the virus. You may need to watch for symptoms and avoid exposing others to the virus. Some people who have been around others with an Ebola infection, like friends or family, may be able to get the vaccine.