The outbreak appears to have started with a patient who had surgery in Kikwit on April 10, 1995. Members of the surgical team then developed symptoms similar to those of a viral hemorrhagic fever disease. Ebola hemorrhagic fever was suspected by a Belgium physician who reported the disease to the Zairian government. At the request of Zairian health officials, medical teams from CDC, the World Health Organization, and from Belgium, France, and South Africa are collaborating to investigate and control the outbreak in Zaire. Symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever begin 4 to 16 days after infection.
Persons develop fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and loss of appetite.
As the disease progresses, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, sore throat, and chest pain can occur. The blood fails to clot and patients may bleed from injection sites as well as into the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and internal organs. Ebola virus is spread through close personal contact with a person who is very ill with the disease. Transmission of the virus has also occurred as a result of hypodermic needles being reused in the treatment of patients. Reusing needles is a common practice in developing countries, such as Zaire and Sudan, where the health care system is underfinanced.