DIAGNOSING EBOLA

The thing is, chances are pretty good that your doctor will not test you for Ebola unless you have come in contact with someone who has Ebola, or someone who has come in contact with someone who has Ebola and then come in contact with you. If you feel sick or have a fever after coming in contact with someone recently arrived from a region of Ebola outbreak or a hospital worker treating Ebola, it is important to bring this information to your doctor’s attention.

In the first few days after symptoms develop, you will be tested for Ebola if there is adequate reason to believe you are at risk. There are special tests which are sent to the CDC and analyzed within a twenty‑four to forty‑eight hour period.

TIP

If you feel sick or have a fever after coming in contact with someone recently arrived from a region of Ebola outbreak or a hospital worker treating Ebola, it is important to bring this information to your doctor’s attention.

If you are diagnosed with Ebola after the results from these tests come back, you will be hospitalized (hopefully in a high‑risk center). Once you have recovered, you will likely be given additional testing to detect for “antibodies.” These are certain Y‑shaped proteins that your body produces to deactivate dangerous viruses and bacteria. Some of the tests include:

ELISA

If you are infected and have survived long enough to begin developing immunity, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) tests can be useful in detecting Ebola. There are two varieties, immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), and both can show specific and accurate results.

PCR

This test (officially known as “reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction” or PCR) is used to detect genetic material from the virus and can pick up very small quantities. That means it could be a good tool for early detection but that it can come back falsely negative during the first three days of infection.