The deadly consequences of Ebola
On June 27, 1976, an Ebola epidemic broke out for the first time in recorded history
© Reuters
HEALTH Diseases
Ebola! The very name instills dread and bewilderment. And so it should. Ebola virus disease (EVD), an acute, serious illness that is often fatal if untreated, is a condition that, while rare, spreads at an alarming rate once transmitted.
The disease is passed to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Signs and symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus. Fever, sore throat, muscular pain, and headaches are early indicators. Vomiting, diarrhea, and rash usually follow. Later stages of EVD are marked by decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Soon afterwards, victims can start to bleed both internally and externally. For many, a slow, painful demise is inevitable—the disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25 and 90% of those infected, with an average of about 50%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
It's an illness that sounds straight out of medieval history books. But this terrible virus is very much part of the 21st century, and has killed thousands across western Africa.
First identified in 1976, Ebola has since risen its ugly head on numerous occasions across several African countries. Click through this gallery for a brief recent history of this awful disease.
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