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Diagnosis of Ebola


It is very difficult to diagnose Ebola in a person who has been infected by the virus for only a few days. The reason is that the early symptoms like fever are non-specific and are often observed in patients with more common diseases like malaria and typhoid fever. However, once a person has been diagnosed with early symptoms of Ebola, the person should be isolated and it is very important to notify the public health authorities about the case. If a person has come in direct contact with:
  • Bodily fluids or blood of an Ebola infected person who has died
  • Items that were handled by an Ebola infected person and are contaminated with the blood or body fluids of the sick person
  • Semen from a man who has just recovered from Ebola
To confirm infection, samples from the patient can be taken and tested. For the symptoms to reach detectable levels, it may take up to three days after the onset of symptoms. Only after the onset of symptoms, most prominent being fever, is the Ebola virus detected in blood. The  diagnosis of Ebola virus in laboratory is made by the detection of viral antigens or RNA in blood or other body fluids.
Laboratory tests used in diagnosis include:
  • Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) virus isolation
Most severe infections are detected by the RT-PCR. Generally the viral RNA is detectable after three days of the beginning of symptoms by RT-PCR.
  • For patients who have had symptoms for fewer than three days, repeat testing may be needed.
  • A negative RT-PCR test carried out after 72 hours of the onset of symptoms rules out Ebola virus disease.

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