What are the symptoms of Ebola?

Initial symptoms of Ebola often include:

• high fever
• headache
• muscle pain

If people become more seriously ill, their symptoms include:

• sore throat
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• chest pain
• bleeding in various parts of the body, such as the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes and intestines

Some people who have Ebola recover within two weeks. Most people develop severe symptoms. More than half of people with Ebola will die.

Who can become very ill from Ebola? 

Everyone who gets Ebola can become very ill. Some people have a higher risk of contracting the disease. This applies to people who have frequent contact with patients during an outbreak, without protective gear. Examples include nurses, doctors and patients’ family members.

Is it dangerous to get an Ebola infection during pregnancy?

Ebola is not more dangerous during pregnancy. The risk of death is about the same for pregnant people and people who are not pregnant.

However, there is a significant chance that the pregnancy will not go well. There is a high risk of miscarriage or significant vaginal bleeding. The baby could also become infected through the placenta, amniotic fluid or breast milk. The risk that the baby will die if it is infected is higher than 95%.

How does Ebola spread?

The Ebola virus can be spread through bodily fluids. This includes:

• blood
• saliva
• vomit
• pee or poop
• sweat
• semen or vaginal fluid
• tears
• amniotic fluid
• breast milk
• cerebrospinal fluid

You can get Ebola by touching the bodily fluids of an infected person. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most contagious bodily fluids are blood, poop and vomit. As a precaution, it is assumed that other bodily fluids may also contain the Ebola virus.

You can also become infected by killing and eating wild animals, such as bats and monkeys. Ebola is not spread through the air, for example by coughing or sneezing. Mosquitoes also do not spread the virus.

The time between exposure and illness (the incubation period) is 2 to 21 days. On average, it takes a week. A patient is contagious as soon as the first symptoms appear. If the patient is seriously ill and producing vomit, diarrhoea or blood, there is a risk that other people will be exposed to the virus through contact with infected bodily fluids.

How can I prevent Ebola?

Are you planning a trip to Africa? Check the latest travel advisories posted online by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also make sure that you:

• do not touch people who are ill, or people who died from Ebola or from an unknown disease. Also avoid contact with their bodily fluids, such as blood or urine.
• do not take part in unsafe funeral rites that involve touching a deceased person.
• frequently wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser.
• do not touch wild animals (dead or alive) or have contact with their blood or other fluids.
• do not eat raw meat from wild animals (such as bushmeat).
• do not visit places where bats are found, such as caves or mines.

Since 2015, there is a vaccine against some forms of Ebola. This vaccine helps to prevent illness in people who have had contact with bodily fluids from Ebola patients. It has to be administered as soon as possible after that contact.  This vaccine is not available in the Netherlands.

The main way to prevent the virus from spreading is by isolating the patients. This is important to make sure that they do not infect other people. People who have had contact with an infected person are monitored for 3 weeks, so they can be admitted to hospital immediately if they also become ill. The doctors and nurses who care for Ebola patients wear protective gear. If a person has not become ill within 3 weeks after contact with an Ebola patient, no other precautions are needed for that person.

Is there any treatment for Ebola?

There is no effective treatment for Ebola.  People who have Ebola do receive special medical care. This helps to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

How common is Ebola?

Ebola is found in parts of Africa. Outbreaks do not happen often. Every once in a while, there are patients with Ebola in Europe. This often involves medical personnel returning from a region where Ebola is found.

What happens if Ebola arrives in the Netherlands?

If an infected person travels to the Netherlands, it does not automatically mean that other people will also be infected. A person is not contagious until they start showing symptoms. When that happens, they become so seriously ill that they need to be treated by a doctor. Doctors in the Netherlands are required to report any suspected case of Ebola (or other, similar viruses) to the Municipal Public Health Service (GGD).

An Ebola patient is placed in a separate room in hospital and receives treatment there. RIVM and the GGD monitor for 3 weeks to see if people who had contact with the patient stay healthy. If anyone becomes ill, That person is immediately placed in isolation and treated in hospital. This contains the spread of the virus.