Title: Chapter 1: What is Ebola and what does it do to the body? | Mercy Corps
Headings: Chapter 1: What is Ebola and what does it do to the body?
Chapter 1: What is Ebola and what does it do to the body?
What exactly is Ebola?
What happens to your body when you get Ebola?
What causes an Ebola outbreak to start?
What causes Ebola to spread?
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How can you protect yourself against Ebola?
Is there a vaccine to prevent Ebola?
What are the long-term health effects of Ebola?
Can Ebola be treated?
Can you survive Ebola without treatment?
How much does it cost to treat Ebola?

Content: Photo: Rudy Nkombo/Mercy Corps
Is there a vaccine to prevent Ebola? According to the CDC, there currently is no approved vaccine for Ebola. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) mentions the use of a vaccine named rVSV-ZEBOV during an Ebola outbreak. This vaccine has shown to be safe and effective in countries fighting the Zaire strain of Ebola. The vaccine is recommended for use during outbreaks if a licensed vaccine is not available. The vaccine has been engineered to contain a protein from the Zaire strain and to elicit an immune response to the virus. The vaccine was used during the Ebola epidemic in 2015 and was given to more than 16,000 volunteers. Even though the vaccine was shown to be safe and prevents infection, more research is needed before it can become licensed. It is only used to protect individuals who are at high risk of contracting the disease, such as close family members of Ebola patients or frontline healthcare workers.