Educational · Transmission
Ebola virus disease spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals. It is not airborne. Here are the five documented transmission routes.
Natural reservoir
Fruit bats (Pteropodidae) — suspected reservoir host, shed virus asymptomatically
Bodily fluids
Blood, vomit, diarrhoea, sweat — direct contact required
Human infection
Contact with infected person, contaminated surface, or unsafe burial
01
The primary route. Ebola spreads through direct contact with blood, vomit, diarrhoea, urine, saliva, sweat, breast milk, or semen of an infected person — especially someone who is severely ill or has died from the disease.
02
Touching bedding, clothing, medical equipment, or any surface contaminated with the bodily fluids of an infected person. The virus can survive on surfaces for hours to days depending on conditions.
03
Traditional burial rituals involving washing or touching the body of someone who died from Ebola are a major source of transmission. The body remains highly infectious after death.
04
Initial outbreaks begin when humans come into contact with infected animals — fruit bats (the suspected natural reservoir), or intermediate hosts such as chimpanzees, gorillas, forest antelopes, and porcupines, often through bushmeat hunting.
05
Healthcare workers are at extreme risk when proper infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are not followed — needle-stick injuries, inadequate PPE, and poor waste management have amplified every major outbreak.
Important: Ebola is not airborne and is not spread by mosquitoes, water, or food (unless contaminated with bodily fluids). It does not spread through casual contact. The virus is fragile outside the body and is easily killed by soap, bleach, and sunlight.
Sources: WHO Ebola Fact Sheet, CDC Ebola Transmission, MSF Ebola Guidelines.
