Here’s everything you need to know about Ebola Virus
NEWS DIGEST – With the Nigerian Government making spirited efforts at ensuring that the dreaded Ebola Virus does not spread into the country, The News Digest brings you all you need to know about the dreaded Ebola virus.
Ebola Virus is a rare disease that can lead to death mostly affecting human and non-human primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It is caused by an infection with one of five known Ebola virus species, four of which can cause disease in human.
The virus can be transmitted via direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from EVD. The virus can get in through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus can also be spread through contact with objects contaminated by infected persons as well as direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected fruit bats or primates.
When infected, a person with Ebola may present with symptoms such as sudden high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A distinct symptom of Ebola and other VHFs is unexplained bleeding from body openings. The symptoms may appear 2 to 21 days after exposure to an infection.
According to wikipedia, The virus spreads by direct contact with body fluids, such as blood , of an infected human or other animals. [This may also occur through contact with an item recently contaminated with bodily fluids. Spread of the disease through the air between primates, including humans, has not been documented in either laboratory or natural
conditions.
Semen or breast milk of a person after recovery from EVD may carry the virus for several weeks to months.
Fruit bats are believed to be the normal carrier in nature, able to spread the virus without
being affected by it.
Other diseases such as malaria, cholera , typhoid fever , meningitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers may resemble EVD. Blood samples are tested for viral RNA, viral antibodies or for the virus itself to confirm the diagnosis.
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Control of outbreaks requires coordinated medical services, alongside a certain level of community engagement. [1] The medical services include rapid detection of cases of disease, contact tracing of those who have come into contact with infected individuals, quick access to laboratory services, proper healthcare for those who are infected, and proper disposal of the dead through cremation or burial. Samples of body fluids and
tissues from people with the disease should be handled with special caution.
Prevention includes limiting the spread of disease from infected animals to humans.
This may be done by handling potentially infected bushmeat only while wearing protective clothing and by thoroughly cooking it before eating it. It also includes wearing proper protective clothing and washing hands when around a person with the disease. No specific treatment or vaccine for the virus is available, although a number of potential treatments are being studied.
Supportive efforts, however, improve outcomes. This includes either oral rehydration therapy (drinking slightly sweetened and salty water) or giving intravenous fluids as well as treating symptoms.
The disease was first identified in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in Nzara, and the other in Yambuku, a village near the Ebola River from which the disease takes its name.
EVD outbreaks occur intermittently in tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa . Between 1976 and 2013, the World Health Organization reports a total of 24 outbreaks involving 1,716 cases.
The largest outbreak to date was the epidemic in West Africa , which occurred from December 2013 to January 2016 with 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths.
It was declared no longer an emergency on 29 March 2016.
Other outbreaks in Africa began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2017, and
2018.
To prevent the spread of Ebola, the NCDC advise members of the public to adhere to the following precautions:
Wash your hands frequently using soap and water – use hand sanitizers when soap and water is not readily available.
Avoid direct handling of dead wild animals.
Avoid physical contact with anyone who has possible symptoms of an infection
with an unknown diagnosis.
Make sure fruit and vegetables are properly washed and peeled before you
eat them.
