Biological Weapon - Ebola

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What It Is

Ebola fever, named after a river in the Congo where it first gained the attention of the world in 1976, is caused by a member of the Filoviridae group. A filovirus is one that is thread-shaped, long and thin, usually with a coiled or bizarrely shaped structure at one end. It is believed that the virus is transmitted through contact with blood and bodily fluids (perhaps even perspiration) of infected persons.

What It Does

The disease seems to appear suddenly as fever, headache, muscle pain, and to progress rapidly with purpura, then organ failure. In its usual hemorrhagic form, the disease causes the victim to "bleed out" from all orifices and internally.

Be Prepared

Case fatality rate is in a 30-90% range, and the reasons for survival have not been discovered. While neither the reservoir or intermediate host (if any) of Ebola is yet conclusively known, an outbreak in Gabon in 2002 has been associated with consumption of bush meat - specifically, a gorilla. The Ebola virus is spread through close personal contact with a person who is infected with Ebola. Blood and body fluids contain large amounts of virus, thus transmission of the virus has also occurred as a result of hypodermic needles being reused in the treatment of patients.

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