[Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever)]

Abstract

The Ebola virus is a single-stranded negative sense RNA virus belonging to the filovirus family. The Ebo- ]a virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD). EVD is characterized by fever and malaise, muscle pain, and abnormal blood clotting. The mortality rate associated with EVD is very high, at 88%. In the worldwide outbreak in 2014, the epidemic of EVD started in Guinea and expanded to western Africa. Thereafter, cases of infection with the Ebola virus spread around the world, especially Europe and America. EVD is a zoono- sis. It is considered that the natural host of Ebola virus is a bat, and it causes a fatal clinical condition in go- rillas and chimpanzees as well as humans. People were infected by touching body fluids of blood, secretions, vomit, and other discharges from patients with EVD. Since the numbers of Japanese who work overseas and foreigners who visit Japan are increasing, it is necessary to establish the diagnosis of and medical treatment system for EVD in Japan. In this paper, we mainly describe the laboratory-based testing and risk manage- ment of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Japanese hospitals. [Review].