Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring an outbreak of Ebola disease that was first reported in mid-May in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. No cases of Ebola disease have been confirmed in Connecticut because of this outbreak. The overall risk to the American public remains low. https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/situation-summary/index.html

What steps is Connecticut taking to identify and respond to potential cases?

In accordance with CDC recommendations, the Department of Public Health (DPH) works with local health departments to monitor the health of people potentially exposed to the viruses.
DPH State Public Health Laboratory is prepared to facilitate Ebola and Marburg virus diagnostic testing.
DPH is working with hospitals to ensure their readiness to detect, protect, and respond to patients infected with or suspected of having Ebola or Marburg virus. https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Epidemiology-and-Emerging-Infections/Ebola-Virus?language=en_US

Genomic sequencing has confirmed the virus species in the current outbreak as Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). Unlike the Zaire strain of the virus, there is no vaccine for this strain. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON602

SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms show up 2 to 21 days after infection (although 8-10 days is most common) and usually include:

Fever (greater than 38.0 degrees C or 100.4 degrees F)
Severe headache
Muscle pain
Weakness
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Abdominal (stomach) pain
Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

Many common illnesses can have these same symptoms, including influenza (flu) or malaria. A person infected with the Ebola virus is NOT contagious until symptoms appear.

If you think that you or someone you know may be sick with Ebola, call your health care provider for advice and direction. If you do not have a doctor or cannot reach your doctor, call the emergency department at your local hospital.

It is very important to make these calls ahead of physically going anywhere for treatment. Calling ahead allows hospitals and other health care professionals to have advance notice and make special preparations.

TRANSMISSION:
When an infection does occur in humans, the virus can be spread in several ways to others. Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with:

blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, feces, vomit, breast milk and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola
objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus
handling clothing or bedding that may contain blood of an infected person

Ebola is NOT spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. However, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handing bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats. There is no evidence that mosquitos or other insects can transmit Ebola virus.

DIAGNOSIS:
Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed definitively in a laboratory through several types of tests.

Other diseases that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of EVD can be made include: malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, plague, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers.

Ebola: What Parents Need to Know: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/infections/Pages/Ebola.aspx

For more information visit the following websites:

WHO – World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
Food and Drug Administration information: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/ebola

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SOURCES: State of Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH); Federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Food and Drug Administration; World Health Organization
PREPARED BY: 211/mm
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: May2026