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How can Ebola cause blood clots and bleeding at the same time?

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Ebolavirus and Ebola virus disease — Ebola Numerous filamentous ebolavirus particles (blue) budding from a chronically-infected VERO E6 cell (yellow-green) in this digitally colorized scanning electron micrograph produced by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Ebola causes the simultaneous occurrence of blood clots and bleeding through a condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).1

During this process, the virus triggers the formation of numerous small blood clots throughout the body, specifically concentrating in vital organs such as the liver, spleen, and brain. These widespread clots consume the body's clotting factors and platelets, which are essential for normal blood coagulation. As these resources are depleted, the body loses its ability to stop bleeding, leading to hemorrhaging from various sites, including body orifices, injection sites, and internal organs. Essentially, the initial formation of clots paradoxically leads to a systemic failure of the blood's ability to clot, resulting in spontaneous and severe bleeding.1