Ebola virus disease

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About Ebola virus disease

Ebola virus disease is a serious type of viral haemorrhagic fever.

At least half of people who get the disease die.

The viruses that cause the disease are among the most dangerous known to humans.

Why it matters to public health

Ebola virus disease is rare, but outbreaks can grow quickly and have very high death rates.

Ebola virus disease cases have been reported in several African countries. People can get infected if they travel to areas where the disease is found.

Nobody has ever been diagnosed with Ebola virus disease in Australia. Just one diagnosis in Australia would trigger an urgent public health response.

Because of how serious Ebola virus disease can be, it is considered a listed human disease. The Australian Government can use special powers to stop it from entering the country and respond quickly if it’s detected.

We also:

monitor and report on Ebola virus disease
work with medical aid organisations to monitor aid workers returning from affected areas
plan for how to manage outbreaks.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Symptoms usually start suddenly and can get worse over time.

Early symptoms include:

fever
severe headache
muscle pains
weakness
sore throat.

After 4 or 5 days, this can be followed by:

Later stages involve unexplained bleeding, including:

blood in vomit and stools
bleeding from the nose, gums, eyes or vagina.

The illness can progress to multi-organ failure and death.

People who recover from Ebola virus disease usually have long-term health problems.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to contact a health professional.

Check your symptoms

If you get symptoms of Ebola virus disease within 21 days of returning to Australia from a country where the disease is found, call your healthcare professional immediately. Tell them about your symptoms and travel history. Do not visit a clinic in person without calling ahead. They might take extra steps to protect others.

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 8 and 10 days after infection. But this can range from 2 to 21 days.

How it spreads

The viruses that cause Ebola virus disease spread to others through:

direct contact with blood or other body fluids from someone:
- with Ebola virus disease
- who has died from Ebola virus disease
sexual contact with someone who has Ebola virus disease
contact with objects contaminated with infected blood or body fluids – such as needles or syringes.

Ebola virus disease can also spread by touching the blood or body fluids of an infected animal, such as fruit bats, monkeys or apes. This includes dead animals.

Infectious period

People with Ebola virus disease can spread the virus from when symptoms begin.

People are infectious while the virus is in their blood or other body fluids.

The risk of spreading the virus increases as symptoms worsen.

People who die from the disease are most infectious around the time of death and after death.

Although rare, the virus can spread after a person with Ebola virus disease has recovered.

This is because the virus can stay in some body fluids (like semen or breastmilk) for many months.

Prevention

There is no vaccine against Ebola virus disease available for general use in Australia.

For people travelling to countries where Ebola virus disease occurs, the best protection is to:

be aware of official travel advice before leaving Australia
avoid areas with outbreaks
avoid contact with:
- people with Ebola virus disease – alive or dead
- objects contaminated with blood or body fluids from people with Ebola virus disease
- blood or body fluids (or objects contaminated with them) of anybody who is unwell.
not interact with wild animals (such as fruit bats, monkeys or apes) – including hunting or eating bush meat
practise good personal hygiene, including hand hygiene
practise safe sex.

Read more ways to prevent Ebola virus disease.

Priority groups and settings

People at greater risk of severe disease

Anyone infected with Ebola virus is at risk of severe disease.

People at greater risk of exposure

People who might be at greater risk of exposure to Ebola virus include:

people caring for people with Ebola virus disease – including healthcare professionals
people who handle the body of someone who has died with Ebola virus disease
people who interact with infected animals or eat bush meat
laboratory workers handling Ebola virus samples
sexual partners of people who have recently recovered from Ebola virus disease – especially if they have contact with semen.

Diagnosis and treatment

Ebola virus disease is usually diagnosed with a blood test.

Other tests might also require the collection of:

urine
a throat or nose swab.

Because of the risk of transmission, samples are only collected in specialist centres.

Antiviral medicines are available to treat one of the viruses that cause Ebola virus disease.

People diagnosed with Ebola virus disease are treated in hospital with strict infection prevention and control measures.

Read more about how to manage or treat Ebola virus disease

Surveillance and reporting

Viral haemorrhagic fever (including Ebola virus disease) is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases and probable cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around globally and around the country to understand disease patterns.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports on global Ebola virus disease cases each week through its Ebola portal.

Outbreaks

Australia has strong systems to prevent and respond to Ebola virus disease.

Biosecurity officers screen travellers for Ebola virus disease and other serious diseases. People who feel sick or have been exposed to Ebola virus are assessed and might be referred for medical care or isolation in a safe facility.

If there’s a major outbreak overseas, the Australian Government might introduce extra steps to keep everyone safe. These could include:

monitoring passengers and returning travellers from affected areas
displaying information at airports and ports – like in brochures, banners or electronic messages
using legal powers, if needed.

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For more information about Ebola virus disease, see the Ebola disease WHO webpage.

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.