Difference between revisions of "Ebola hemorrhagic fever"
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Revision as of 12:53, March 30, 2009
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often-fatal disease in humans and primates that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.
The disease is caused by infection with Ebola virus, named after a river in the Zaire, where it was first recognized.
The virus is one of two members of a family of RNA viruses called the Filoviridae. There are five identified subtypes of Ebola virus. Four of the five have caused disease in humans: Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast and Ebola-Bundibugyo. The fifth, Ebola-Reston, has caused disease only in primates.