Ebola - Key points

Ebola is not airborne or spread by droplets. Ebola are not infectious until symptoms have developed. Direct contact with infected secretions, such as saliva, is essential to transmitting the Ebola virus.

You cannot acquire Ebola virus if another person coughs or sneezes close to you, and it is not spread by casual contact. Rather, it is acquired by direct contact with infected secretions such as vomit, diarrhea, and blood primarily. It may also be spread by direct contact with saliva, sweat, and tears. Other means of transmission include contact of secretions with a skin opening or healing wound, or if a person contacts secretions and touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

It is important to remember that “only patients who are symptomatic are contagious” and can then transmit the virus to others through their secretions.

Those who have contracted the disease are primarily healthcare workers caring for patients, as well as family members who have had close contact with infected patients. Another method of infection has involved family members who handle corpses at the time of burial, along with those who eat fruit bats, antelope, or other animals potentially infected with the virus.

credits to Hu Mung Chee