Ebola
Ebola virus disease, or simply Ebola, is a rare and deadly illness caused by infection from a strain of the Ebola virus. It is spread through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of a person already showing symptoms. Ebola is not spread through the air, water, food, or mosquitoes. Symptoms most often appear within a week or 10 days, but they may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure. Early symptoms can include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, and weakness, which often are followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and rash, along with decreased liver and kidney function. If death occurs, it often follows 6-16 days after symptoms appear and typically is due to low blood pressure caused by fluid loss.
Although the exact origin of the virus is not known, scientists believe that a person first becomes infected through contact with an infected animal, such as a fruit bat or primate (apes and monkeys). The disease had been confined to certain areas of Africa until September 2014, when the virus first appeared in the United States after an infected man traveled from Africa to Texas, where it spread to several health care workers. Recovery from Ebola depends on excellent medical care and the patient’s immune system, but the overall mortality rate is approximately 50 percent. Those who recover no longer can spread the disease, and they develop antibodies that last at least 10 years.
Why UAB
UAB maintains an active and well-prepared infectious disease program, and our Emergency Management Committee has adopted Ebola isolation and triage procedures with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our infectious disease specialists are equipped with the education, research, training, and experience to address both existing and emerging diseases. In 2008, UAB and the Southern Research Institute collaborated to create the Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance, which has been working to develop new drug therapies for a number of viruses. Even more recently, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases approved a five-year, $35 million grant to the UAB School of Medicine, which is being used to establish the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center (AD3C). The AD3C is focusing on viral families that are responsible for diseases such as West Nile virus, SARS, MERS, chikungunya and dengue fever. In addition, the UAB Travelers’ Clinic offers preventative treatments for overseas travelers.
CLINICAL TRIALS
UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of Ebola. We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.
View Clinical TrialsMore from UAB
Around the Web
uab.edu
National Institutes of Health
nih.gov
Latest Headlines
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UAB is Prepared for Ebola and Other Infectious Diseases
- Publish Date
- 10/3/14
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Ebola Facts: How to Stay Safe and Informed
- Publish Date
- 10/2/14
UPCOMING CLASSES AND EVENTS
- Genome: Unlocking Life's Code
Do you have your mother’s dimples? Or your father’s hairline? What makes us, us? And how much of it actually sets us apart from every other living thing on Earth?
Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code begins to unravel the mystery behind the complete set of instructions needed for every living thing on Earth to grow and function: the genome. Discover how your genome could be the key to maximizing your future quality of life as genomic science helps open the way to more personalized healthcare. See yourself in a new way: as an individual, as a member of a family, and as part of the diversity of life on Earth.
Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code opens January 19 at McWane Science Center and was made possible in part by financial support secured by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The exhibit is sponsored by UAB Medicine, which is using its knowledge of the human genome to advance the field of precision medicine, an exciting approach to health care that combines the absolute latest in the prediction and prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease to deliver truly individualized patient care.