Named after the Ebola River in Zaire, South Africa where the first outbreak was detected, the origin comes from the Filoviridae family. This virus is similar to the Marburg virus. The first outbreak of the virus was detected in the year 1976 in 2 places viz. Sudan, Zaire. Thus there aroused two prototypes of virus- Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan. The former is still considered the most deadly virus with 90% fertility rate whereas the latter has 50% fertility rate. There are totally five distinct species or subtypes in Ebola virus. They are viz. Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Reston and Bundibugyo.

With more than three decades of research, the origin of the viral widespread is still unknown. The reason is people in majority assume they are infected by malaria instead of Ebola and they get the wrong treatment. Hospitals in Asia and Africa didn't have proper sterilization methods which led to the outbreaks around three decades ago. But ever since 2007, outbreaks haven't been detected. Ebola virus spreads easily through certain species of monkeys.

The Transmission of the disease is mainly because of the viral shedding in the bat's saliva. Bats eat fruit and pulp partially. The food chain which follows on consumption of the partially eaten fruit or pulp becomes a victim of the virus. The virus gets transmitted through body fluids and oral exposure in humans. Outbreaks have occurred in places where basic hygiene and sanitization facilities have been far below par. Generally the virus then spreads person-to-person, especially within families, hospitals, etc. Like in a ceremonial funeral when a person gets in physical contact with an infected deceased person. Another type of transmission can be while handling infected and monkeys or chimpanzees.

Symptoms of the Ebola are fever, abdominal pain, blood vomit, sore throat, chest pain, etc. Severe cases can have symptoms of blood diarrhea, rash, red and itchy eyes. Generally these symptoms are misunderstood for symptoms of other diseases like malaria, cholera, etc. No specific treatment has been developed for Ebola though a vaccine is still in the budding stages of preparation. Of course only monkeys are used as victims for the vaccines. The tests on animals are conducted in highly diagnosed lab with containment and excellent bio-safety level.

However, as the old saying goes "Prevention is better than cure." Making advanced preparations for Ebola and maintaining a minimum threshold for sanitization and sterilization facilities in all hospitals can restrict the transmission of the virus. The health care providers ought to know the ways in which one can handle an infected person so that the provider doesn't get affected.

Many studies are being conducted further to know exactly what causes this disease. Organizations such as WHO, PAHO, OIE conduct tests by collecting samples at regular intervals in places in and around the outbreak areas. But the natural source of the disease is still seen with obscurity. With such activities and studies going on and with the development of medical technologies we hope to see a cure for this deadly virus.