{"id":7259,"date":"2019-07-30T18:21:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T18:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/surveillance-and-investigation\/?page_id=7259"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:49:08","slug":"ebola","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/surveillance-and-investigation\/ebola\/","title":{"rendered":"Ebola (Ebola Disease)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ebola (Ebola Disease)<\/h3>\n
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Ebola disease is a rare and often deadly illness. It is caused by a group of viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses. Ebola disease most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates, such as monkeys, chimpanzees, and gorillas. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The viruses that can cause Ebola spread from person to person through direct contact with blood or body fluids (urine, feces, saliva, sweat, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease. This can happen when a person touches the infected body fluids or objects that have come into contact with those body fluids, such as medical equipment, needles, and syringes. The virus enters the body through broken skin or through the eyes, nose, or mouth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On May 17,\u00a0<\/span>2026<\/span>\u00a0the World Health Organization\u00a0<\/span>(WHO)\u00a0<\/span><\/span>declared<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0a public health emergency of international concern<\/span>\u00a0(PHEIC)<\/span>\u00a0for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo\u00a0<\/span>(DRC)\u00a0<\/span>and Uganda. This outbreak is caused by\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Bundibugy<\/span>o virus. A public health emergency of international concern is defined as \u201can extraordinary event that is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.\u201d CDC has<\/span>\u00a0issued travel notices for the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>DRC<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Uganda<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Please visit\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CDC\u2019s Ebola Outbreak History website<\/span><\/span><\/a> for a list of any current or past outbreaks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What VDH is Doing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n