Case Study: Ebola

What characteristics of the disease helped create an Ebola epidemic?

Choose three facts that best explain why Ebola became an epidemic in West Africa.

• The first outbreaks occurred in 1976 in Central Africa.
• The illness is named for the Ebola River, where it was first discovered.
• Ebola outbreaks have been confirmed in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Guinea.
• The disease is spread by direct contact with people who have the disease; it is not spread through the air.
• On average, symptoms appear 8 to 10 days after contact with an infected person.
• Symptoms of the disease include fever, aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, and red eyes.
• Unprotected healthcare workers can become infected with the disease.
• Family and friends who are helping a sick person are at high risk to contract the disease.
• As of 2014, there was no treatment or vaccine for the disease.
• The average fatality rate is about 50 percent.
• Properly trained healthcare workers can safely treat infected people, as long as they have good protective equipment and follow strict procedures.

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