How do you contract ebola?
Credit:Steve DebenportE+Getty Images
Q:

How do you contract ebola?

A:

Quick Answer

A person may contract Ebola following contact with an infected individual's blood, urine, sweat, semen, breast milk, saliva, feces and other body fluids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission of Ebola also occurs through contact with infected animals or objects contaminated with the virus.

 Know More

Full Answer

Humans, bats, monkeys and apes are the only mammals that are able to transmit and become infected with the Ebola virus, states the CDC. It is unclear if the virus is transmitted through sex. Ebola does not spread through air, food or water, and it is not transmitted by mosquitoes or other insects. Ebola is capable of spreading quickly among family, friends and health care workers who are in close contact with infected individuals. Medical personnel who are caring for Ebola patients must wear appropriate personal protective equipment and properly sterilize or dispose of all equipment and instruments used in the patient's care.

Treatment of Ebola generally includes administering intravenous fluids, balancing electrolyte levels, monitoring blood pressure and oxygen levels, and treating other infections if needed, notes the CDC. After patients recover, they are not able to spread the Ebola virus. Because the virus is sometimes found in the semen after recovery, male patients are advised to abstain from sex for three months.

Learn more about Conditions & Diseases

Try a quiz

Q:
What's a baby dragon called?

Related Questions

  • Q:

    How long is hepatitis C contagious in dried blood?

    A:

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hepatitis C survives outside the body, including in dried blood, for at least 16 hours, but no longer than four days. The time varies depending on the temperature and environmental surfaces.

    Full Answer >
  • Q:

    How is water lost from the body?

    A:

    Water is lost from the body when a person urinates, defecates, sweats and breathes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The average adult loses two to three liters of water every day, with one to two liters lost as urine, 100 to 200 milliliters lost as feces, 300 to 500 milliliters lost through breath and about one-half lifter lost through sweat, according to TheNutritionDr.

    Full Answer >
  • Q:

    Is hepatitis C contagious?

    A:

    Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that is spread through contact with blood infected with the hepatitis C virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis C is not transmitted through sneezing, kissing, holding hands or coughing, states the American Liver Foundation.

    Full Answer >
  • Q:

    What are all the ways you can catch HIV?

    A:

    HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is spread when semen, vaginal fluids or blood from an infected person enters another person's body, according to WebMD. The transmission usually occurs during sexual contact, while sharing needles when injecting drugs, or from mother to baby during birth.

    Full Answer >

Explore