Ebola virus disease: a commentary on clinical presentation and outcomes in children

Abstract

In the last half a century, Ebola virus disease (EVD) has had remarkable epidemiological transitions. In the East African Country of Uganda, it first appeared as a less aggressive viral illness in the early 1970s and was an infrequent disease of little public health significance. However, in the last three decades, it reemerged as a severe viral illness with progressive and increasing frequency of outbreaks, especially in the Central and Western African regions (1-3). Moreover, the public health significance of EVD climaxed in the 2014 outbreak in West Africa, which led the WHO to declare a global emergency (4).