Ebola virus facts for kids

Electron microscope picture of the Ebola virus

A 3D medical animation still of Ebola Virus

Ebola virus is a very dangerous virus. It belongs to the Filoviridae family and is responsible for a severe disease characterized by the sudden onset of hemorrhagic fever accompanied by other nonspecific signs and symptoms. "Hemorrhagic" means that the victim will bleed a lot, inside and outside their body. The virus attacks almost every organ and tissue of the human body resulting in multi-organ dysfunction. Out of every 10 people who get Ebola, on average five to nine die. There are four kinds of Ebola virus that can cause the disease. The virus was first found in Sudan. It is found in Africa, with very few cases in Europe and the United States.

Prevention

Scientists have not yet found a vaccine for Ebola, but efforts are underway.

Images for kids

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  A colorized scanning electron micrograph of the virus

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  Genomic structure of Ebola virus, mostly after GenBank KJ660346.2

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  NPC1

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  Cross-sectional drawing of the Ebola virus particle, with structures of the major proteins shown and labeled at the side. Pale circles represent domains too flexible to be observed in the experimental structure. Drawn by David Goodsell from PDB files 3csy, 4ldd, 4qb0, 3vne, 3fke, and 2i8b.

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  Marburg virus