A river in the Congo, six species and a fatality rate near 50 per cent: what Ebola disease is
Background
Nigeria's disease control centre has just reported on suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa, which makes the disease itself worth knowing.
The World Health Organization says Ebola disease first occurred in 1976 in two outbreaks at once.
One was at Nzara, in what is now South Sudan; the other at Yambuku, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Yambuku village lay near the Ebola River, and the disease is named after that river.
Six species of Orthoebolavirus have been identified so far, and three of them cause large outbreaks: Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus.
The average case fatality rate is around 50 per cent, and past outbreaks have ranged from 25 to 90 per cent.
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are thought to be the natural hosts, and two vaccines are approved: Ervebo, and Zabdeno with Mvabea.
In plain words
Orthoebolavirus Orthoebolavirus — The genus of viruses that cause Ebola disease.
Case fatality rate Case fatality rate — The share of people with a disease who die of it.