From Joseph Schueger, MD, Family Practice physician with PPPC:
Ebola is an illness caused by a virus, otherwise known as a viral illness.
For this reason, antibiotics are not an effective treatment option.
Currently there are no available vaccines to prevent Ebola virus
infection. Transmission from one person to another occurs through direct
contact of broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes with
virus-containing body fluids (blood, vomitus, urine, feces, semen) from a
person who has developed signs and symptoms of illness. Generally
speaking, the Ebola virus is not spread from person to person by the
respiratory route (coughing/sneezing).
Patients with Ebola virus disease typically have symptoms that begin 8 to
10 days after exposure. The presenting symptoms of an Ebola infection are
not specific to this virus meaning that several different other viral
infections/illnesses can cause the same type of symptoms initially seen in
an Ebola viral infection. These symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue,
decreased appetite, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain, vomiting and
diarrhea. Many of these symptoms are also seen in patients who are ill
with the influenza virus (Flu virus).
Tips for avoiding exposure to the Ebola virus:
1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially when
2. Avoid areas with known outbreaks
3. Avoid contact with persons who have the above symptoms
4. Greet the new people you meet at a distance; avoid shaking hands and
hugging as a form of greeting people with the above symptoms or who have
traveled to areas where there is a known Ebola outbreak
5. If a person has been in an area known to have Ebola virus disease or in
contact with a person known or suspected to have Ebola and they begin to
have symptoms, they should seek medical care immediately
For more information, feel free to contact our office at (573) 727-5500 or
the Black River Medical Center Emergency Department at (573) 727-9080.