2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

Fast Facts

• Ebola is the cause of a viral hemorrhagic fever disease.
• Currently, there are no FDA-approved vaccines or drugs to prevent or treat Ebola.
• Ebola does not pose a significant risk to the U.S. public.
• Treatment: CDC recommends supportive therapy for patients as the primary treatment for Ebola. This includes balancing the patient’s fluids and electrolytes, maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure and treating them for any complicating infections.
• Investigational Products: While there are experimental Ebola vaccines and treatments under development, these investigational products are in the earliest stages of product development and have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness. Small amounts of some of these experimental products have been manufactured for testing. Thus, very few courses of these experimental products are available for clinical use. The FDA hopes that these investigational products will one day serve to improve outcomes for Ebola patients. However, we expect that most, if not all, of the products in development will require administration in a carefully monitored healthcare setting, in addition to supportive care and rigorous infection control.
• Fraudulent Products: Unfortunately, during outbreak situations, fraudulent products claiming to prevent, treat or cure a disease almost always appear. The FDA monitors for fraudulent products and false product claims related to the Ebola virus and takes appropriate action to protect consumers. Consumers who have seen these fraudulent products or false claims are encouraged to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ucm059315.htm - report them to the FDA.

Source:   http://www.fda.gov/EmergencyPreparedness/Counterterrorism/MedicalCountermeasures/ucm410308.htm - http://www.fda.gov/EmergencyPreparedness/Counterterrorism/MedicalCountermeasures/ucm410308.htm