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Ebola virus

It can be difficult to diagnose Ebola virus disease (EVD) shortly after infection. Early symptoms of Ebola virus infection, such as fever, headache, and weakness, are not unique to Ebola virus infection and are frequently seen in patients with other, more common diseases, such as malaria and typhoid fever.

To determine whether EVD is a possible diagnosis, a combination of symptoms suggestive of EVD AND a possible exposure to EVD within 21 days before the onset of symptoms must exist. Contact with: blood or body fluids from a person sick with or who died from EVD, objects contaminated with blood or body fluids from a person sick with or who died from EVD, infected fruit bats and nonhuman primates (apes or monkeys), or sperm from a man who has recovered from EVD is considered an exposure.

If a person exhibits symptoms of EVD and has been exposed, he or she should be isolated (separated from other people) and public health authorities should be notified. To confirm infection, blood samples from the patient should be collected and tested. After the onset of symptoms, the Ebola virus can be detected in the blood. The virus may not be detectable for up to three days after symptoms begin.

Because of its ability to detect low levels of Ebola virus, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most commonly used diagnostic methods. PCR methods can detect the presence of a few virus particles in small amounts of blood, but as the amount of virus increases during an active infection, the ability to detect the virus increases. When the virus is no longer present in sufficient numbers in a patient's blood, PCR methods are rendered ineffective. Other methods, based on the detection of antibodies produced by an EVD case in response to an infection, can then be used to confirm a patient's Ebola virus exposure and infection.

A positive laboratory test indicates that an Ebola infection has been confirmed. Authorities will conduct a public health investigation, which will include identifying and monitoring all potentially exposed contacts.

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