Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Mar;117(1):95-106.
doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldw005. Epub 2016 Feb 12.

Ebola virus disease: emergence, outbreak and future directions

Robert A Lever  1 , Christopher J M Whitty  2
Affiliations
Review

Ebola virus disease: emergence, outbreak and future directions

Robert A Lever et al. Br Med Bull. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The West African Ebola crisis of 2013-15 is the largest outbreak since Ebola was first identified; Ebola has high case fatality.

Sources of data: Pubmed with terms 'Ebola' and 'EVD' from January 1976 to June 2015. Public domain material.

Areas of agreement: The emergence of Ebola virus, virology, clinical features and the major elements of the 2014 outbreak and the public health response. Ebola is only transmitted by direct contact with infected individuals (including dead bodies) and their body fluids. Methods of control in hospitals and burials, and protection of healthcare workers are well established if difficult to achieve.

Areas of contention: There remains uncertainty surrounding specific public health interventions and novel therapies (including vaccines). How best to reduce transmission in the community during major outbreaks remains unclear.

Future directions: The potential of vaccine and therapeutic candidates in the event of another outbreak on this scale. .

Search strategy: We searched all entries on the MedLine database/PubMed from 1976-2015 with the MeSH terms 'ebola', 'EVD', 'haemorrhagic fever'. We also reviewed publically available information via institutional websites from Governmental, NGOs and news organizations pertaining to the above search terms.

Keywords: Ebola; control; epidemiology; pathogenesis; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Serologic Markers for Ebolavirus Among Healthcare Workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
    Hoff NA, Mukadi P, Doshi RH, Bramble MS, Lu K, Gadoth A, Sinai C, Spencer D, Nicholson BP, Williams R, Mossoko M, Ilunga-Kebela B, Wasiswa J, Okitolonda-Wemakoy E, Alfonso VH, Steffen I, Muyembe-Tamfum JJ, Simmons G, Rimoin AW. Hoff NA, et al. J Infect Dis. 2019 Jan 29;219(4):517-525. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiy499. J Infect Dis. 2019. PMID: 30239838 Free PMC article.
  • Global nursing in an Ebola viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak: before, during and after deployment.
    von Strauss E, Paillard-Borg S, Holmgren J, Saaristo P. von Strauss E, et al. Glob Health Action. 2017;10(1):1371427. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2017.1371427. Glob Health Action. 2017. PMID: 29017025 Free PMC article.
  • Analysis of Diagnostic Findings From the European Mobile Laboratory in Guéckédou, Guinea, March 2014 Through March 2015.
    Kerber R, Krumkamp R, Diallo B, Jaeger A, Rudolf M, Lanini S, Bore JA, Koundouno FR, Becker-Ziaja B, Fleischmann E, Stoecker K, Meschi S, Mély S, Newman EN, Carletti F, Portmann J, Korva M, Wolff S, Molkenthin P, Kis Z, Kelterbaum A, Bocquin A, Strecker T, Fizet A, Castilletti C, Schudt G, Ottowell L, Kurth A, Atkinson B, Badusche M, Cannas A, Pallasch E, Bosworth A, Yue C, Pályi B, Ellerbrok H, Kohl C, Oestereich L, Logue CH, Lüdtke A, Richter M, Ngabo D, Borremans B, Becker D, Gryseels S, Abdellati S, Vermoesen T, Kuisma E, Kraus A, Liedigk B, Maes P, Thom R, Duraffour S, Diederich S, Hinzmann J, Afrough B, Repits J, Mertens M, Vitoriano I, Bah A, Sachse A, Boettcher JP, Wurr S, Bockholt S, Nitsche A, Županc TA, Strasser M, Ippolito G, Becker S, Raoul H, Carroll MW, De Clerck H, Van Herp M, Sprecher A, Koivogui L, Magassouba N, Keïta S, Drury P, Gurry C, Formenty P, May J, Gabriel M, Wölfel R, Günther S, Di Caro A. Kerber R, et al. J Infect Dis. 2016 Oct 15;214(suppl 3):S250-S257. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw269. Epub 2016 Sep 16. J Infect Dis. 2016. PMID: 27638946 Free PMC article.
  • Epidemiology of Ebolaviruses from an Etiological Perspective.
    Jain S, Khaiboullina S, Martynova E, Morzunov S, Baranwal M. Jain S, et al. Pathogens. 2023 Feb 3;12(2):248. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12020248. Pathogens. 2023. PMID: 36839520 Free PMC article. Review.
  • Synthetic Platforms for Characterizing and Targeting of SARS-CoV-2 Genome Capping Enzymes.
    Ornelas MY, Thomas AY, Johnson Rosas LI, Scoville RO, Mehta AP. Ornelas MY, et al. ACS Synth Biol. 2022 Nov 18;11(11):3759-3771. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00359. Epub 2022 Nov 4. ACS Synth Biol. 2022. PMID: 36331143 Free PMC article.
See all "Cited by" articles

MeSH terms