How Ebola spreads

Nearly 50 years after Ebola was first discovered in Africa, more than 15,000 people have died from the disease. Highly contagious and dangerous, it is “one of the most deadly diseases known to man,” says Keith Roach, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City and an associate attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Ebola is a type of hemorrhagic fever that can cause severe bleeding in its later stages.

Recent years have seen important developments in the ability to treat and contain the virus. There are now two treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as one FDA-approved vaccine to prevent the disease.

The keys to avoiding infection, however, remain understanding how the disease is and is not transmitted—and taking necessary steps to lower the risk of spread. Read on for the facts.