Health Topic

Ebola

Ebola, a type of hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and often deadly disease caused by several different types of Ebola viruses. Learn about treatment and prevention.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Ebola disease · Ebola hemorrhagic fever · Ebola virus disease

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Ebola

Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD), is a type of hemorrhagic fever. It is a rare and often deadly disease. It can be caused by several different types of Ebola viruses. There are occasional outbreaks of Ebola, and they mostly occur in Africa.

Researchers believe that the virus first spreads from an infected animal to a human. Ebola can then spread from human to human through direct contact with:

  • Blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola.
  • Objects (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment) contaminated with body fluids from a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola.
  • Semen (through oral, vaginal, or anal sex) from a man who has recovered from Ebola. The virus can remain in semen and other body fluids, even if the person no longer has symptoms.

When people become infected with Ebola, they do not start developing signs or symptoms right away. They cannot spread Ebola to others until after they develop symptoms.

The symptoms of Ebola may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. The average is about 8 to 10 days. The symptoms usually include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Joint and muscle aches
  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Sore throat
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal (belly) pain, diarrhea, and vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Unexplained bleeding or bruising

Other symptoms may include a rash, red eyes, and hiccups.

The early symptoms of Ebola are similar to other more common diseases. This makes it difficult to diagnose Ebola in someone who has been infected for only a few days. If a person has the symptoms of Ebola and may have been exposed to the virus, the health care provider can do a blood test for Ebola. It can take a few days after the symptoms start before Ebola shows up in the blood test.

In the United States, there are two approved medicines to treat Ebola that is caused by one specific type of virus (Zaire ebolavirus). These medicines have not been evaluated to treat Ebola caused by other types of Ebola viruses. The medicines are monoclonal antibodies, which are immune system proteins that are created in the lab.

Whether or not there are medicines to treat a case of Ebola, there is supportive care. This type of care can improve the chances of survival, especially when given early. Supportive care includes:

  • Giving fluids and electrolytes
  • Giving medicines to support blood pressure, reduce vomiting and diarrhea, and to manage fever and pain
  • Giving oxygen
  • Treating any other complications or infections

People who recover may still have side effects afterwards, such as fatigue, muscle aches, eye and vision problems, and stomach pain.

In the United States, there is one vaccine that has been approved to prevent Ebola caused by one specific type of Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus). It may be given to health care providers who will be or may be treating Ebola patients and people who work with live Ebola virus in labs.

If you live in or plan to travel to a region where Ebola virus may be present, you can help protect yourself by avoiding contact with:

  • Blood and body fluids of people who are sick
  • Semen from a man who has recovered from Ebola, until testing shows that the virus is gone from his semen
  • Items that could be contaminated with blood or body fluids from someone who has Ebola
  • Bats, forest antelopes, and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys and chimpanzees), including their blood, fluids, or meat

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

It sits within Infections.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Ebola

129 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

Start Here

Symptoms

Prevention and Risk Factors

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Patient Handouts

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Ebolavirus, Ebola Vaccines, Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Ebola, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.