Symptoms and Treatment
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| Ebola is spread
through direct contact with bodily fluids of those infected. However,
the vector of Ebola is still unknown in the wild. After exposure, the
incubation period can range from a few days to a few weeks. Typically,
symptoms will start to be visible about a week after transmission. The
first stage of symptoms is flu-like: aches, fever, headache, and possibly
vomiting. The second stage of symptoms is the characteristic Ebola seen
in movies with hemorrhaging from body orifices and possibly death. The
whole progression of disease lasts about 10 days before death or before
healing begins.
There is no proven
cure for Ebola. It is typically treated by a rigorous regime of anti-viral
medication. Recently, a vaccine has been
developed, but it is still in the first stages of human testing. Patients
with Ebola are treated by barrier nursing, and are kept under isolation.
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