Ebola Virus 2

The Ebola virus is a member of the virus family called Filoviridae. There are three strains of filoviruses: Ebola, Marburg, and Reston. All of these diseases are very fatal to monkeys and humans. The Ebola virus is airborne and can enter the body through any opening in the skin, especially cuts. Ebola has the ability to spread from cell to cell very quickly, and kills 50 to 90 % of human victims. The mortality rate in monkeys is …

…Most of the U.S. cases have developed in patients after returning from Africa. Many other cases have been reported in monkeys that have been imported from Africa and the Philippines. Some large shipments have contained monkeys that have already died from the disease, leaving many more infected. In cases like this, all the animals must be destroyed, along with the cages and any other items that may have been shipped at the same time.