Updated Review on Ebola Virus and its Therapeutic Development

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is an acute viral syndrome that presents with fever and an ensuing bleeding diathesis that is marked by high mortality in human and nonhuman primates. Due to its lethal nature, this filovirus is classified as a biological class 4 pathogen. The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown. As a result, little is understood about how Ebola virus(EBOV) is transmitted or how it replicates in its host. Although the primary source of infection is unknown, the epidemiologic mode of transmission is well defined. A variety of tests have proven to be specific and useful for Ebola virus identification. There is no FDA-approved antiviral treatment for EHF. Since there is no specific treatment outside of supportive management and palliative care, containment of this potentially lethal virus is paramount. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. But now, the virus seems to have enthralled the global interest due to its lethal prospective. EHF outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%. The research is ongoing on development of making vaccine to curb this virus yet licensed success or specific treatment is not achieved. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. In this article we discussed the recent approaches for the treatment of EHF.