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Review
. 2014 Oct 3;20(1):44.
doi: 10.1186/1678-9199-20-44. eCollection 2014.

Outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in Africa: the beginnings of a tragic saga

Jean-Philippe Chippaux  1
Affiliations
Review

Outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in Africa: the beginnings of a tragic saga

Jean-Philippe Chippaux. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis. .

Abstract

The tremendous outbreak of Ebola virus disease occurring in West Africa since the end of 2013 surprises by its remoteness from previous epidemics and dramatic extent. This review aims to describe the 27 manifestations of Ebola virus that arose after its discovery in 1976. It provides an update on research on the ecology of Ebola viruses, modes of contamination and human transmission of the disease that are mainly linked to close contact with an infected animal or a patient suffering from the disease. The recommendations to contain the epidemic and challenges to achieve it are reminded.

Keywords: Africa; Ebola; Hemorrhagic fever; Outbreak; Virus.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ultrastructural morphology of Ebola virus virion (image by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Cynthia Goldsmith).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tentative of Filoviridae phylogeny (scale on bottom left represents about 100 years)[, , –20].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Study of Ebola virus in a high-security laboratory BSL-4 (photo by IRD, ©IRD).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Group of bats Hypsignathus monstrosus in a mango tree in Lambaréné, Gabon (photo by Jean-Jacques Lemasson, ©IRD).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Geographical distribution of African manifestations of Ebola viruses (based on Google™ Earth map).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Alert delay and duration of the African Ebola outbreaks.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Protective clothing worn by healthcare personnel during the care and handling of a patient (photo by Jean-Paul Gonzalez, ©IRD).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Wrapping of the body in a mortuary sac (photo by Jean-Paul Gonzalez, ©IRD).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Boarding of a corpse in the vehicle for transportation to the burial site (photo by Jean-Paul Gonzalez, ©IRD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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