What is Ebola virus disease (EVD)?

Ebola virus disease (EVD) (previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever), is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and non-human primates. The disease is caused by infection with the Ebola virus. The disease was first recognized in 1976 when two outbreaks (near the Ebola River, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan) occurred almost concurrently. Since then, sporadic outbreaks have occurred in the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, Congo and Gabon resulting in less than 2 500 confirmed cases from 1976 -2013 with mortality rates of 50 – 90% of Ebola patients have died. The largest EVD outbreak took place in west Africa from December 2013 to June 2016, predominantly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, with over 28,616 suspected cases and 11,310 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.