Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola fever) is caused by a virus belonging to the family called Filoviridae. Scientists have identified four types of the Ebola virus. Three have been reported to cause disease in humans: Ebola-Zaire virus, Ebola-Sudan virus, and Ebola-Ivory Coast virus. The human disease has so far been limited to parts of Africa. A very small number of people in the United States, who were infected with the fourth type of the virus, known as Ebola Reston, did not develop any signs of disease. The disease can be passed to humans from infected animals and animal materials. Ebola can also be spread between humans, by close contact with infected bodily fluids, or through infected needles at the hospital. A person infected with Ebola is contagious from the moment he/she begins to show symptoms.
What causes Ebola?
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola fever) is caused by a virus belonging to the family called Filoviridae. Scientists have identified four types of the Ebola virus. Three have been reported to cause disease in humans: Ebola-Zaire virus, {{NAME}} virus, and {{ORGANIZATION}} virus. The human disease has so far been limited to parts of Africa. A very small number of people in the United States, who were infected with the fourth type of the virus, known as {{NAME}}, did not develop any signs of disease. The disease can be passed to humans from infected animals and animal materials. Ebola can also be spread between humans, by close contact with infected bodily fluids, or through infected needles at the hospital. A person infected with Ebola is contagious from the moment he/she begins to show symptoms.