The severe impact and high fatality rates of Ebola raise ethical questions regarding the use of unregistered and untested experimental drugs. These include whether it is ethical to administer them to patients, whether withholding them from dying patients is ethical, how to allocate limited supplies, and whether healthcare providers should be prioritized.

Ethical Questions of Untested Ebola Treatments

There are currently no approved therapeutic drugs or vaccines for Ebola. Although certain medications have demonstrated efficacy in laboratory and animal models, they have not undergone safety and effectiveness testing in humans and are in extremely limited supply.

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*Ebolavirus* is the pathogen responsible for Ebola Virus Disease.

Ebola Virus

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Microbiology covers the scope and sequence requirements for a single-semester microbiology course for non-majors. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of the text make the material interesting and accessible while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. Microbiology’s art program enhances students’ understanding of concepts through clear and effective illustrations, diagrams, and photographs.

Microbiology is produced through a collaborative publishing agreement between OpenStax and the American Society for Microbiology Press. The book aligns with the curriculum guidelines of the American Society for Microbiology.

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Ebola Virus Disease causes fever, severe headache, myalgia, cough, chest pain, and pharyngitis, followed by abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and hemorrhaging.

Signs and Symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease

The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa was an unprecedented outbreak that dwarfed other human Ebola epidemics in mortality, resulting in 10,179 deaths out of 24,666 reported suspected or confirmed cases.

2014 West African Ebola Epidemic

Lack of Approved Ebola Treatments and Vaccines

The incubation period for the Ebola virus ranges from 2 days to 21 days. This timeframe corresponds in part to the eclipse period in the growth of the virus population, during which the infected individual cannot transmit the disease to others.

Ebola Virus Incubation Period

The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with droplets of bodily fluids, including saliva, blood, and vomit. The disease is highly contagious once the infected individual begins exhibiting symptoms, but cannot be transmitted during the asymptomatic incubation or eclipse phase.

Ebola Virus Transmission

Once an individual is identified as infected with the Ebola virus, the patient is immediately placed in quarantine. Public health officials then initiate a back trace to identify and monitor everyone who interacted with the patient while they were showing symptoms.

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