There are five types of the Ebola virus. Four of these can infect humans and cause disease and the fifth type infects primates like monkeys but does not cause disease in humans.
The current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is the largest outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. There is no complete treatment available however a range of potential treatments have been developed. These include blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies. At the moment two potential vaccines are undergoing human safety testing.
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