Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever intense weakness muscle pain and a sore throat according to the world health organization and that is just the beginning subsequent stages are vomiting diarrhea and in some cases both internal and external bleeding
the disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals including chimpanzees fruit bats and forest antelope
it then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood bodily fluids or organs or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments even funerals of ebola victims can be a risk if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased
the incubation period can last from two days to three weeks and diagnosis is difficult the human disease has so far been mostly limited to africa although one strain has cropped up in the philippines