Spotting ebola virus symptoms is critical to diagnosing if a person has acquired the infection.

According to Huffington Post, the World Health Organization has recorded 700 deaths resulting from the recent outbreak plaguing West Africa. Recently an American doctor, as reported by The Telegraph, has come home to the United States from Africa.

He was diagnosed with the infection after it was confirmed that he exhibited ebola virus symptoms. He contracted it as he was administering treatment to sufferers in Liberia. Upon his return to the US, he will be getting treatment and have the chance to speak with his wife, albeit only for a short while behind a glass window, reported The Telegraph.

Huffington Post reported that given the right medical attention, there is a 40% chance of surviving the infection. A patient who shows ebola virus symptoms could not have contracted it through the air because the virus is not airborne. He or she must have direct contact with the virus to be at risk.

Exposure to the virus can be through an animal that carries the virus, i.e. a bat or a primate. People can also get if they are directly exposed to the bodily fluids of someone who is infected and exhibits the indications.

WebMD reported that people usually contract the virus when they attend to someone who is infected. They can also be at risk of contracting it when they bury someone who has died of the disease. People can also be exposed to the virus when they touch contaminated objects or needles.

What are the ebola virus symptoms? WebMD has identified them and the risks involved if the infection worsens. During the early stages, the signs of a possible infection can be likened to flu or other mild diseases. These may include: diarrhea, weakness, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat and fever.

According to WebMD, when the infection heightens, patients may suffer from the following: internal and external bleeding of the body, problematic breathing and rash.