How do people become infected with the Ebola virus?
1 Answer
The Ebola virus spreads in the human population by human-to-human transmission through direct contact of broken skin and mucous membranes with blood or other body fluids (e.g. faeces and urine, vomit, semen and sweat) of those infected (WHO, 2014).
Transmission can occur through direct contact with these body fluids, as described above, or through touching fomites (inanimate objects), such as the floor, utensils and bed linens that have recently been contaminated with infected body fluids. Transmission through intact skin has not been documented, but infection can be transmitted through penetrating injuries of the skin, such as needle-stick injuries.
Source: WHO & UNICEF (Reviewed by MSF, CDC, and Tufts 2014) Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Key questions and answers concerning water, sanitation and hygiene
This thread is public, all members of KnowledgePoint can read this page.