How do Ebola patients look?

Diagnosing Ebola by sight is difficult because most of its symptoms are not specific to it and may take weeks to appear, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The clearest sign of Ebola is unexplained bruising or bleeding in someone recently in contact with an Ebola patient.

The symptoms of Ebola include fever, headache, weakness, fatigue and vomiting and can take up to 21 days to appear, according to the CDC. Because many illnesses share these symptoms, an individual must often undergo a blood test to confirm the presence of Ebola. Direct contact with the body fluids of someone already infected with the disease is the only method of contracting Ebola.