Diagnosis and Treatment of EVD

Diagnosis

Diagnosing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) shortly after infection can be difficult. Early symptoms of EVD such as fever, headache, and weakness are not specific to Ebola virus infection and often are seen in patients with other more common diseases, like malaria and typhoid fever.

To determine whether Ebola virus infection is a possible diagnosis, there must be a combination of symptoms suggestive of EVD AND a possible exposure to EVD within 21 days before the onset of symptoms. An exposure may include contact with:

blood or body fluids from a person sick with or who died from EVDobjects contaminated with blood or body fluids of a person sick with or who died from EVDinfected fruit bats and primates (apes or monkeys)semen from a man who has recovered from EVD

If a person shows early signs of EVD and has had a possible exposure, he or she should be isolated (separated from other people) and public health authorities notified. Blood samples from the patient should be collected and tested to confirm infection. Ebola virus can be detected in blood after onset of symptoms, most notably fever. It may take up to three days after symptoms start for the virus to reach detectable levels. A positive laboratory test means that Ebola infection is confirmed. Public health authorities will conduct a public health investigation, including tracing of all possibly exposed contacts.

Treatment

Symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) are treated as they appear. When used early, basic interventions can significantly improve the chances of survival. These include:

Providing fluids and electrolytes (body salts) through infusion into the vein (intravenously).Offering oxygen therapy to maintain oxygen status.Using medication to support blood pressure, reduce vomiting and diarrhea and to manage fever and pain.Treating other infections, if they occur.

Recovery from EVD depends on good supportive care and the patient’s immune response. Those who do recover develop antibodies that can last 10 years, possibly longer. It is not known if people who recover are immune for life or if they can later become infected with a different species of Ebola virus. Some survivors may have long-term complications, such as joint and vision problems.

Antiviral Drugs

There is currently no antiviral drug licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat EVD in people. Drugs that are being developed to treat EVD work by stopping the virus from making copies of itself.

Blood transfusions from survivors and mechanical filtering of blood from patients are also being explored as possible treatments for EVD.

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