Science cartoon based on "Sexual transmission of Ebola Virus"

Sexual transmission of Ebola Virus

Ebola virus need no introduction. Ebola virus disease was known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. Till today, no promising treatment or vaccine is there to cure Ebola virus disease.

It is thought that fruit bats are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

Data on sexual transmission of Ebola viruses were lacking till now but work published by CPT Suzanne Mate, Ph.D., of U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), USA with the help of genomic analysis provide proof about positive conformation of sexual transmission. The paper published on 14^th Oct, 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides molecular evidence of Ebola virus (EBOV) transmission between an EVD survivor and his female partner.

Reference: Suzanne E. Mate et al (2015), Molecular Evidence of Sexual Transmission of Ebola Virus. New England Journal of Medicine, 151014140151006 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1509773