Ebola in children: epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and outcomes.

Abstract

Ebola virus disease is caused by a highly contagious and pathogenic threadlike RNA virus of the Filoviridae family. The index human case is usually a zoonosis that launches human-to-human transmission interface with varying levels of sustainability of the epidemic depending on the level of public health preparedness of the affected country and the Ebola virus strain. The disease affects all age groups in the population. Clinical diagnosis is challenging in index cases especially in the early stages of the disease when the presenting features are usually nonspecific and only similar to a flu-like illness. However, in the agonal stages, hemorrhage frequently occurs in a high proportion of cases. The diagnostic gold standard is by detecting the antigen using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Mortality rates in the past 28 outbreaks since 1976 have ranged from 30% to 100% in different settings among adults, but lower mortality rates have been documented in children. This review aims to describe Ebola virus infection, clinical presentation, diagnosis and outcomes in children.