How to spot signs and symptoms of deadly Ebola virus

The Ebola virus. Credit: Frederick Murphy/DPA/Press Association Images

Doctors and border officials have been put on alert for signs of Ebola, as Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond chairs an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreak of the deadly virus.

According to the World Health Organisation, the epidemic trend remains "precarious" in parts of West Africa, with 1,201 cases and 672 deaths attributed to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) as of 23 July.

Earlier this month the Health Protection Agency's director of global health told ITV News it was "extremely unlikely" that the disease would reach Britain, but said those showing symptoms of the virus could be "tested and looked after in specialist facilities in London".

The World Health Organisation has outlined a list of symptoms and signs to look out for:

Signs and symptoms

  • Sudden onset of fever

  • Muscle pain

  • Headache and sore throat

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhoea

  • Rash

  • Impaired kidney and liver function

  • In some cases, both internal and external bleeding

Source: World Health Association

Sierra Leone is the latest country to have seen a surge in symptoms likened to Ebola, with confirmed cases also seen in Liberia and Guinea.

Key Facts

  • The Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD; formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) in humans

  • EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%

  • EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests

  • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission

  • Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus

  • No specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals

Read: What is the Ebola virus?

Read: UK hospitals 'on alert' after deadly Ebola outbreak in Guinea