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First Encounter with Ebola Virus

In 1976, the international community was again alarmed as Ebola virus was discovered as the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Sudan. There were about 300 victims in each outbreak but since the areas in which the outbreak occurred were remote, the virus did not spread on a large extent. The first emergence of Ebola (Ebola Sudan) caused a mortality rate of 53% in its victims. In Sudan, 284 people got infected out of which 151 were killed by Ebola virus called by Sudan Virus or SUDV. The first case identified was of a shopkeeper in a cotton factory on 27th June in Nzara.
The second outbreak took place from Yambuku, Zaire on 26 August 1976 and had mortality rate as high as 88%, which is highest among all Ebola viruses. The causative agent of this outbreak was EBOV, then known as Zaire ebolavirus, which was a different species from that in outbreak in Sudan. The first person who was identified with EBOV in Zaire was a school headmaster. He was on a tour to Northern Zaire and had visited the Ebola River between 12 and 22 August. He died and soon 14 days after having displayed the symptoms and others who were in his contact also died. The entire region was declared as the quarantine zone. The virus was named as “Ebola virus” after the Ebola River, located near the outbreak site in Zaire.
The natural source of Ebola could not be identified in spite of exhaustive efforts put by experienced researchers. Medical facilities were closed due to high death rate among the staff.

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