What Is Ebola Virus?
2. What Causes Ebola Outbreaks?
Ebola is a zoonosis disease, meaning it presents initially in animals and then transmits to people. However, there is no proof of such transmission at the onset of current or past outbreaks, only speculation. The consensus among researchers is that Ebola outbreaks occur after the handling of infected animals, both ill and deceased. However, finding evidence to support the hypothesis is challenging because it is often difficult to pinpoint an origin point for the infection.
Because the incubation period can be as long as three weeks, an infected person can expose hundreds of people to the disease without knowing. As well, since people differ in how they display symptoms, the first people infected may also not be the first to show signs or die. Therefore, combatting an outbreak depends on early diagnosis and prevention.
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