Ebola disease - including symptoms, treatment and prevention

If you get unwell within 21 days of arriving in Australia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda:

  • call your healthcare professional immediately — tell them about your symptoms and travel history.
  • do not visit a clinic or hospital in person without calling ahead — they might take extra steps to protect others.
  • dial 000 in an emergency and tell them about your symptoms and travel history.

Ebola disease is a type of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) caused by a virus. Ebola disease also known simply as Ebola and Ebola virus disease, was previously referred to as Ebola haemorrhagic fever because it can affect the body's clotting system and may lead to internal and external bleeding.

Outbreaks of Ebola disease in humans have occurred only in Africa, specifically in: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, the Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. There has never been a case in Australia.

Ebola disease is a notifiable condition1

How Ebola disease is spread

The virus that causes the disease is "zoonotic", meaning it initially spreads from animals to humans. Australia has no known animals that naturally carry the virus.

Fruit bats are considered the primary natural reservoir, though non-human primates like chimpanzees and gorillas are also known to be infected with the virus.

Ebola disease can be transmitted from person to person via:

  • contact with blood or body fluids (for example, urine, saliva, faeces, semen, vomit and breast milk) from an infected person (living or deceased)
  • contact with an area contaminated with blood or body fluids of an infected person
  • sexual transmission.
  • contact with blood or body fluids of an infected animal such as fruit bats, Duiker (African antelope), monkeys or apes. This includes dead animals.

Signs and symptoms of Ebola disease

Ebola disease may occur in two phases — a dry phase and a wet phase.

Initial symptoms are flu-like and may include the following dry phase symptoms:

  • fever usually with sudden onset
  • aches and pains in muscles and joints
  • severe headache
  • weakness and fatigue
  • sore throat
  • Loss of appetite

After four to five days of illness, patients can progress to the wet phase of symptoms. These may include: 

  • Unexplained bleeding (may include bleeding from the nose or gums, vomiting or coughing blood, bruising, rashes and internal bleeding.
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms
    • nausea
    • abdominal pain
    • diarrhoea
    • vomiting

Other symptoms may include chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, red eyes, skin rash.

Ebola disease can be a severe illness, and in some outbreaks around half to most people who became infected died from the disease.

Diagnosis of Ebola disease

Cases are diagnosed by a blood specimen.

Incubation period

(time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)

From 2 to 21 days, most commonly 8 to 10 days.

Infectious period

(time during which an infected person can infect others)

People are not infectious until the onset of symptoms. People are infectious as long as blood and secretions contain virus.

Treatment for Ebola disease

  • There are no approved treatments for Ebola disease currently in Australia.
  • Early intensive supportive care with rehydration and the treatment of symptoms improves survival. 

Prevention of Ebola disease

  • There are no Ebola vaccines available for general use in Australia. 
  • Follow travel advice before and after leaving Australia.
  • Avoid travel to areas with outbreaks
  • Individuals with suspected or confirmed Ebola disease need to be isolated and excluded from childcare, preschool, school and work until cleared to return by a doctor.
  • Health care workers who care for a patient with suspected or confirmed Ebola disease should use hand hygiene and appropriate personal protective equipment
  • For at least several months after recovery and until advised otherwise by a doctor, males who have had Ebola  disease should use a condom when engaging in sexual intercourse
  • Those who visit an area where Ebola disease occurs should not eat raw or undercooked ‘bush meat’ including ape, monkey, duiker or bat.
  • People should not have contact with (or eat) blood, meat or body fluids of animals which show signs of Ebola disease.

Useful links

1 – In South Australia the law requires doctors and laboratories to report some infections or diseases to SA Health. These infections or diseases are commonly referred to as 'notifiable conditions'.