Ebola Myths and Facts: Test Your Knowledge

Which of these can pass along the Ebola virus?
Dandruff
Fingernails
Tears
Which of these can pass along the Ebola virus?
The Ebola virus can only be passed through bodily fluids. It may be possible through tears, but the most infectious are blood, stool, and vomit. Bodily fluids also include breast milk, urine, semen, and saliva.

You can catch Ebola from sitting near someone on a plane.
True
False
You can catch Ebola from sitting near someone on a plane.
Not unless the person had symptoms and you had direct contact with their bodily fluids. You can’t get it just by breathing the same air. The virus doesn't spread through air or by water. You can also get it from contaminated needles, sheets, and other objects. To infect you, the virus has to go into your body, such as an infected person sneezing in your face.

Ebola is contagious only when someone has symptoms.
True
False
Ebola is contagious only when someone has symptoms.
People with Ebola can’t pass it along until they start to feel sick. It can take 2 to 21 days for symptoms to appear, but it usually happens in just over a week. The first signs -- fever, muscle ache, headache, and a sore throat -- can look like malaria, typhoid fever, and even the flu. Later symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding inside the body and from the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth.

Scientists think Ebola first came from:
Bats
Gorillas
Mosquitoes
Scientists think Ebola first came from:
Scientists think certain fruit bats, called Old World fruit bats or flying foxes, are natural hosts of the Ebola virus. Infected bats might have helped spread the disease in Africa to people and animals. The virus also has been found in antelopes and porcupines. People would have gotten it from infected animals' organs or bodily fluids, such as when handling raw meat from wildlife.

Men who recover from Ebola should do this for 3 months:
Test blood sugar
Use private toilets
Wear condoms
Men who recover from Ebola should do this for 3 months:
Most people who get better can’t spread the virus anymore, but Ebola can stay in semen for up to 3 months, although it's rare. Men who’ve had the disease should use condoms for 3 months or not have sex. Likewise, women should not breast-feed during that time, in case it's in their breast milk.

You can be vaccinated against Ebola.
True
False
You can be vaccinated against Ebola.
Yes. There are two vaccines that are already proven to protect against Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older as a single dose administration. The vaccines are rVSV-ZEBOV (Ervebo), sold by Merck, and Johnson & Johnson's Ad26. ZEBOV/MVA-BN-Filo (Zabdeno/Mvabea).

How many strains of the Ebola virus are there?
One
Three
Five
More than 100
How many strains of the Ebola virus are there?
Four of the five strains can make people, monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees sick. The fifth virus causes disease in those animals but not in people. The strain in the current outbreak is the most lethal one.

How long can the Ebola virus live on something outside the body?
Up to 6 minutes
Up to 6 hours
Up to 6 days
How long can the Ebola virus live on something outside the body?
One lab study found that Ebola could live for up to 6 days under ideal conditions. But it wouldn’t likely last that long in most places. Household bleach can kill it. U.S. hospitals are so good about cleaning and disinfecting that experts believe the virus could last only about 24 hours, at the most, in that setting.

How many proven treatments are there for Ebola?
None
One
Two
How many proven treatments are there for Ebola?
While there's no cure for Ebola, there are two drug treatments that have been approved for treating Ebola. Inmazeb is a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies (atoltivimab, maftivimab, and odesivimab-ebgn). Ansuvimab-zykl (Ebanga) is a monoclonal antibody given as an injection. It's also important to provide fluids and electrolytes orally or through infusion. Other medications may be needed to control blood pressure, reduce vomiting and diarrhea, and to manage fever and pain.

If you’ve had Ebola, you’re less likely to get it again.
True
False
If you’ve had Ebola, you’re less likely to get it again.
About half the people who get Ebola die. But experts think someone who recovers would probably be protected against that strain for at least 10 years. That’s because their bodies make substances called antibodies to fight off the disease. It’s possible they could be infected by a different Ebola strain, though.

What is the Ebola virus named after?
A river
A tree
A city
What is the Ebola virus named after?
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo happened in a village near the Ebola River.

Which is the bigger threat: Ebola or the flu?
Flu
Ebola
Which is the bigger threat: Ebola or the flu?
Yes, there are vaccines and medicines for the flu, and there aren't for Ebola. But Ebola is much rarer and harder to catch. Your chances of getting Ebola are almost zero unless you’ve traveled to a place where there’s an outbreak or you’ve been directly exposed to the bodily fluids of someone who has symptoms.