health

There is no medication to treat or cure Ebola virus infection. Patients
with Ebola hemorrhagic fever are hospitalized and receive supportive
care to treat symptoms. They may receive intravenous* (IV) fluids to
protect against dehydration*; monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate,
and breathing; and treatment for bleeding or other infections that may
develop during the illness. During past outbreaks, 50 to 90 percent of
people who developed symptoms of the disease died. Those who survive
usually recover in several weeks.
Researchers discovered a protein on the surface of the Ebola virus that
attaches to and damages specific cells of blood vessels, and this finding
may help to explain the massive bleeding that leads to most Ebola virus
deaths. Researchers have attempted to develop new drugs or a vaccine
directed against this protein that might prevent the disease or at least
reduce the severity of the symptoms and the number of deaths caused by
the virus.