Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the Ebola virus has been a trending health issue in recent news. But, many people don't really know about the Ebola virus. Check out these things you need to know about the Ebola virus from Medko. Visit us at www.medkohealth.com

1. 8Things You Should Know About The Ebola Virus
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2. Ebola Likely Comesfrom Bats
FruitbatsarebelievedtobethenaturalhostofEbola,thoughultimatelyscientistsaren’tcompletelysurewherethediseaseoriginated.FruitbatsareactuallyacommonfoodsourceinGuineaandgovernmentshavebannedbatsouptocombatthedisease.

3. Ebola Spreads via Bodily Fluids
Ebolacanspreadeitherfromanimalstohumans,orfromhumanstohumans.Ineithercase,itspreadsviabodilyfluids.Mostbodilyfluids—blood,mucus,semen,saliva,etc. -canspreadEbola,ascanobjectsandsurfacesthatarecontaminatedwithinfectedsecretions.

4. Ebola canHave a Range of Symptoms
Ebolaisabrutaldiseasethatcauseseverythingfromnauseatobleedingfromallofthebody’sorifices.ThefirstsymptomsofEbolaincludethesuddenonsetoffever,weakness, vomiting,anddiarrhea.Symptomstypicallyshowup8to10daysafterinitialexposure.

5. Ebola is extremely deadly
DuringthefirstEbolaoutbreakof1976,thediseasekilled88%ofthepeoplewhobecameinfected.Intheoutbreak,thefatalityratehasbeen60%,butthisfigurecouldriseto90%.

6. There is no vaccine for Ebola
Althoughthereareseveralvaccinescurrentlybeingtested,novaccinehasbeenproventotreatorpreventEbola.

7. PatientswithEbolaaretreatedwithsupportivetherapy,whichincludesbalancingtheirfluids,maintainingtheiroxygenlevelsandbloodpressure,andtreatingthemforanycomplicatinginfections.

8. The risk for outbreak outside of West Africa is very low
Withthepotentialforplanetraveltotransportastowawayvirusdoesseemscary,itisunlikelythataninfectedpersonwhotraveledfromanareawithEbolaonanairlinewouldspreadthediseasetofellowpassengers.

9. Where Can I Get more Information?
ForadditionalquestionsregardingtheEbolavirus,reachouttoanyofourPrimaryCareDoctors,InternalMedicineDoctors,orInfectiousDiseaseandTravelMedicineSpecialists.