Symptoms of Ebola initially include fever ... meaning outbreaks typically begin when a person is exposed to infected animals (African fruit bats are thought to be a primary reservoir).

More than 50 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Initial analysis suggests neither Ebola nor Marburg is the cause.

There is a vaccine for the Zaire type, now trials for another are underway.What you need to know: Ebola damages blood vessels and causes severe, internal bleeding It spreads from animals to humans ...

The rapid spread of illness in the African country may be due to contaminated water, rather than a virus that jumped from bat ...