The Ebola Virus is a fatal disease that travels through the body.  There have been several outbreaks in which hundreds of people have died.  50 to 90 percent of all people who contract the disease die.  The virus got its name from the Ebola river in northern Zaire.  It first emerged there in 1976.  This web page explains the horrors of the Ebola Virus.
 

-hemorrhage from nose, throat, and intestines
-breaking out with sores
-bleeding from the eyes and nose
-hemorrhagic fever
-respiratory problems
-rash
-kidney problems
-chills
-headaches
-bloody diarrhea
-black vomit
-abdominal pain
-loss of appetite
-nausea
-dissolves connected tissue and internal organs

There is no treatment for Ebola......yet.  Scientists are trying to find a vaccine that can recognize the immune system. Those that are infected need intensive care.  They need fluids because they are constantly dehydrated.  Doctors who work with people who are infected with the virus must wear masks, gloves, and their clothes have to be sterilized.  Afterwards, their clothes are burned to prevent any use of the same suits again.

 (Monkey infected with the Ebola Virus)
 
 

- spread through close personal contact with a person that has the virus
- exchanging bodily fluids (blood, urine, secretions) with an Ebola victim
- can be transmitted through monkeys with the virus

Towards the end of the Ebola outbreak in 1995, doctors resorted to blood transfusions.  Out of 8 patients with the transfusions, 7 of them survived.
 
 

- After making contact with an Ebola victim, macrophages (which are harmful viruses) reproduce.  Since these macrophages reproduce so rapidly,  the victim usually dies within 10 days.
 
 

Significant people, organizations, and dates:

People
-Gaspar Menga- first known victim of the Ebola Virus

Dates
-1976- Ebola Virus discovered in Ebola River in Zaire, Africa.
-1995- Outbreak in  Kikwit, Zaire kills 244 out of its 316 victims.
 

  Bibliography

A Blur of Fact, fiction.// Hype Surrounding Ebola Outbreak Has Lead to Much Misinformation. Minneapolis Star Tribune, 15 May 1995, pp. 01A.

Joyce, Christopher. "Ebola Vaccine".

Wertheimer, Linda.  "Ebola". Encarta. 1995.

The Hutchinson Dictionary of Science. Jan. 1998. Helicon Publishing LTD. 1998.

Ebola Virus Disease. The Mosby Medical Encyclopedia.
 

A special thanks to the official Ebola web site for some of our headings, such as treatment, symptoms, and our title.