The example of the Black Death can be inspiring for dealing with challenges caused by the outbreak of epidemics in our contemporary world. Unlike in the 14th century, today we can identify new viruses, sequence their genome, and develop reliable tests for diseases in just a few weeks.

The Black Death had the effect of radically altering all aspects of European Society. However, as local populations finally began to develop immunity to the plague and procedures for limiting the spread of disease the survivors developed a new economy to replace the feudal system.

Despite the dearth of workers, there was more land, more food, and more money for ordinary people. “You might see this as a benefit to the laboring classes,” she says. DeWitte’s more recent studies explore the long-lasting biological impact.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV (called Ervebo®) on December 19, 2019. This is the first FDA-approved vaccine for Ebola.

Scientists do not know where Ebola virus comes from. However, based on the nature of similar viruses, they believe the virus is animal-borne, with bats or nonhuman primates (chimpanzees, apes, monkeys, etc.) being the most likely source.

The first human case in an Ebola outbreak is acquired through contact with blood, secretions organs or other bodily fluids of an infected animal. EVD has been documented in people who handled infected chimpanzees, gorillas, and forest antelopes, both dead and alive, in Cote d’Ivoire, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the DRC government announced the end on 25 June — 42 days after the last case — but it comes as a fresh Ebola outbreak spreads in the country’s northwest.

Ebola can spread when people come into contact with infected blood or body fluids. Ebola poses little risk to travelers or the general public who have not cared for or been in close contact (within 3 feet or 1 meter) with someone sick with Ebola.

but they don’t carry Ebola. There have been no reports of mosquitoes or other insects transmitting Ebola virus. Only mammals (for example, humans, bats, monkeys, and apes) have become infected with Ebola virus and spread it.

Ebola is spread by contact with bodily fluids of infected animals or humans. The virus spread rapidly where people followed burial practices that included touching or washing bodies.

Experts say there has been a working assumption that Ebola survivors generally have immunity from the disease. There have been no documented cases of reinfection but some researchers consider it to be at least a theoretical possibility, while the recurrence of a previous infection is considered extremely rare.

Although Ebola is a severe, often fatal disease, getting medical care early can make a significant difference. Today, about 1 out of 3 Ebola patients survive. Many of them are now using their experience to help fight the disease in their community.

Death, if it occurs, follows typically six to sixteen days after symptoms appear and is often due to low blood pressure from fluid loss. Early supportive care to prevent dehydration may reduce the risk of death. If an infected person survives, recovery may be quick and complete.

1 The estimated case survival rate was 29.2% (95% confidence interval, 27.8–30.6%) among the persons with known clinical outcome of infection in an analysis of 3343 confirmed and 667 probable Ebola cases collected in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Ebola virus can be killed with hospital-grade disinfectants (such as household bleach) when used according to the label instructions.

New data from the DRC released Sep 2 showed there have been more Ebola cases in women during this outbreak, and the most affected age-group among women is 25 to 34. Men ages 35 to 44 are most likely to have been infected.

While the epidemic spread to other parts of Africa, Europe, and the United States, the largest impact was in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the epicenter of the outbreak. Over the duration of this epidemic, there were 28,616 suspected, probable, and confirmed cases from these three countries and 11,310 deaths.