Question 1

what is the latest update on the ebola virus in the us?

Accepted Answer

As of 7 OCT 2014: - 1 case. The Texas Ebola case was a male Liberian National who had traveled from Liberia. Transmission is from someone who has signs of infection via contact wi blood or bodily fluids or through contact wi contaminated objects. A team from Center for Disease Control is in Dallas &amp; have tracked individuals who the man was in contact wi once he was symptomatic (possibly up to 20). Those people will

Question 2

how did the ebola virus start? how did it get into the u.s.?

Accepted Answer

Ebola Virus: Ebola is a filovirus (Filoviridae). The genomic fossils of filoviruse family that impact mammals have likely existed tens of millions of years. Viruses mutate over time. The first recognized Ebola outbreak was in 1976.  Some individuals who became infected by Ebola in Africa traveled to the US  - there by leading to US cases.

Question 3

has their ever been a case of someone having the ebola virus in the u.s.?!?!

Accepted Answer

No: But there was scare about an airborne ebola virus (that luckily didn't cause illness in human) outside washington, dc in the early 1990s.  Read richard preston's the hot zone for details about that.

Question 4

is of possible for anyone in the u.s. to contract the ebola virus from just day to day contact ?

Accepted Answer

Not likely: Transmission from person to person is not from casual contact.

Question 5

any description of the ebola virus and scientific details on how it attacks the human cells as different from other viruses?

Accepted Answer

Hemorrhagic fever...: Ebola was first recognized in 1976 as the cause of outbreaks of disease in the democratic republic of the congo (then known as zaire) and in sudan. Ebola produces one of the most deadly forms of viral hemorrhagic fevers. Exactly how the ebola virus enters cells is unknown at present. The ebola virus appears to infect many different cell types. It can infect various mammals, not just primates.

Question 6

what exactly is the ebola virus?

Accepted Answer

Bad: Ebola virus is a filovirus found primarily in central  africa that causes  a hemorrhagic fever that is frequently fatal.  One strain called ebola-reston caused  quite an outbreak in monkeys imported from the philippines in reston, virginia that did not cause disease in people. Spread by contact with blood and body fluids, an outbreak is currently occurring in uganda (july 2012).

Question 7

how could one avoid ebola virus?

Accepted Answer

Don't go where it is: The first and most important risk factor for Ebola is:  Travel to west Africa.  

It is really that simple.  You can't catch it by casual contact and it is not thought to be airborne.  Therefore, staying away from areas where Ebola is endemic (common in that area) is the surest way to avoid it.

Question 8

how long is an "ebola" virus alive?

Accepted Answer

Ebola: Viruses are not "alive" in the sense that they can live independently. They require a host cell in which they alter the cell's metabolism to create new virus. This will not live very long outside the body unless on moist specimens from an infected individual and is usually transmitted by direct contact with the secretions of the infected patient. Bats have been implicated in transmission.

Question 9

what is the downside of ebola virus?

Accepted Answer

Everything: There is no upside.  The downside is everything about ebola, the inability to prevent it once infected, the high virulent nature of the infection the horrible death leaving a corpse which can continue to be infective.

Question 10

how is the  ebola virus transmitted?

Accepted Answer

Human body fluids: By contact with the body fluids of infected people.  Some animals presumably serve as reservoirs of infection between human outbreaks, but the details haven't been worked out.

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A member asked:

What is the latest update on the ebola virus in the us?

A member asked:

How did the ebola virus start? how did it get into the u.s.?

A member asked:

Has their ever been a case of someone having the ebola virus in the u.s.?!?!

A member asked:

Is of possible for anyone in the u.s. to contract the ebola virus from just day to day contact ?

A member asked:

Any description of the ebola virus and scientific details on how it attacks the human cells as different from other viruses?

A member asked:

What exactly is the ebola virus?

A member asked:

How could one avoid ebola virus?

A member asked:

How long is an "ebola" virus alive?

A member asked:

What is the downside of ebola virus?

A member asked:

How is the ebola virus transmitted?

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