WHAT IS EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE?
Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever
(EHF) is the human disease caused by ebola viruses.
Symptoms start two days to three weeks after
contracting the virus with a fever, throat and muscle
pains, and headaches. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), the disease has a
case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent, this means
about 90 per cent of individuals that suffer from the
disease could die.
TREATMENT
No vaccine for EVD is available. Several
vaccines are being tested, but none are
available for clinical use.
TRANSMISSION
Ebola is introduced into the human
population through close contact with the
blood, secretions, organs or other bodily
fluids of infected animals.
Ebola then spreads in the community
through human-to-human transmission, with
infection resulting from direct contact
(through broken skin or mucous
membranes) with the blood, secretions,
organs or other bodily fluids of infected
people, and indirect contact with
environments contaminated with such fluids.
Burial ceremonies in which mourners have
direct contact with the body of the deceased
person can also play a role in the
transmission of Ebola.
Men who have recovered from the disease
can still transmit the virus through their
semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from
illness.
Health-care workers have frequently been
infected while treating patients with
suspected or confirmed EVD.
PREVENTION:
Wash your hands frequently. As with other
infectious diseases, one of the most
important preventive measures for Ebola
virus is frequent hand-washing. Use soap and
water, or use alcohol-based hand rubs
containing at least 60 percent alcohol when
soap and water aren't available.
Avoid bush meat. In developing countries,
wild animals, including nonhuman primates,
are sold in local markets. Avoid buying or
eating any of these animals.
Avoid contact with infected people. In
particular, caregivers should avoid contact
with the person's body fluids and tissues,
including blood, semen, vaginal secretions
and saliva. People with Ebola are most
contagious in the later stages of the disease.
Follow infection-control procedures. If you're
a health care worker, wear protective
clothing — such as gloves, masks, gowns and
eye shields. Keep infected people isolated
from others. Carefully disinfect and dispose
of needles and other instruments. Injection
needles and syringes should not be reused.
Don't handle remains. The bodies of people
who have died of Ebola disease are still
contagious. Specially organized and trained
teams should bury the remains, using
appropriate safety equipment.
Avoid traveling to areas of known outbreaks.
Watch out for people with flu-like symptoms
and sudden fever.
Those who notice “strange feeling or symptoms
similar to those of Ebola virus, which ranges from
fever, headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore
throat and joint pains, which are all symptoms of
other ailments, are urged to visit competent health
facilities.
In the absence of such facilities, please call the
following numbers: 08023169485, 08033086660,
08033065303, 08055281442, 08055329229.


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