Ebola virus disease (EVD) has now been reported to be causing havoc in Guinea and Liberia. Total death in the two countries as at the time of writing this post is put at 111. The disease is suspected to be present in Mali. Ghana government has denied its presence in Ghana. But there is no smoke without fire. The Nigeria Government has even admitted through the Minister of Health that Nigeria faces real threat of the disease. With what is happening it could be concluded that ebola is spreading across West Africa. And with the free movement within the Economic Community of West African States( ECOWAS ) coupled with the migration resulting from Central African Republic and South Sudan problems, the spread of the disease may be faster than could be imagined.
The sad and fearful thing about ebola virus disease is that there is no known cure. It is infectious and contagious. It is deadly. The fatality rate is almost 100%! An infected person will feel joint and chest pains. Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting may also occur. There could be severe headache, depression and seizures. Affected person would start to bleed from mouth, nose, or any opening in the body. He will also show rashes all over the body. Generally, death occurs due to failure or dysfunction of organs. It could take between 13 to 25 days from the time of infection and manifestation of symptoms.
The EVD could be transmitted through contact with infected animal host, through direct contact with blood or fluid of an infected person. It could also be transmitted through contact with contaminated medical equipments. It is strongly believed that bats are host carriers of ebola virus. And so when terrestrial mammals get in contact with dropped fruits from the bats, they get infected.Since there is no known cure for the EVD isolation of the infected person or prevention of attack on the uninfected become highly important.
In order to prevent the spread of EVD, the following must be observed as a matter of great importance:
The sad and fearful thing about ebola virus disease is that there is no known cure. It is infectious and contagious. It is deadly. The fatality rate is almost 100%! An infected person will feel joint and chest pains. Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting may also occur. There could be severe headache, depression and seizures. Affected person would start to bleed from mouth, nose, or any opening in the body. He will also show rashes all over the body. Generally, death occurs due to failure or dysfunction of organs. It could take between 13 to 25 days from the time of infection and manifestation of symptoms.
The EVD could be transmitted through contact with infected animal host, through direct contact with blood or fluid of an infected person. It could also be transmitted through contact with contaminated medical equipments. It is strongly believed that bats are host carriers of ebola virus. And so when terrestrial mammals get in contact with dropped fruits from the bats, they get infected.Since there is no known cure for the EVD isolation of the infected person or prevention of attack on the uninfected become highly important.
In order to prevent the spread of EVD, the following must be observed as a matter of great importance:
- Needles or any medical equipments must not be shared.
- Consumption of bats and or bush meats should be avoided.
- Complete isolation of infected person is highly necessary.
- Contacts with dead bodies especially if suspected to have been infected with ebola virus should be avoided.
- Country bordering ECOWAS countries should be policed and testing centers should be set up along the borders.
- Only disposable medical equipments should be used to treat infected patients
- Personal hygiene should be made a high priority.
- Government should be involved in extensive enlightenment campaign.
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