That Ebola virus is currently on the
rampage in West Africa is no longer
news. What is rather news — and
very scary for that matter — is that
the World Health Organisation has
just confirmed a case of the infection
in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial
capital and one of the most
populous.

Though the patient has passed away,
there are fears that many people he
had come in contact with as he
journeyed from Liberia to Nigeria may
have been infected; while the medical
workers that attended to him during
his brief stay in the hospital also
need to be examined!

The reasons are not far-fetched:
Ebola virus is virulent — it is
extremely dangerous and deadly, and
usually spreads very quickly. The
WHO estimates that the death rate is
a whopping 90 per cent.
Indeed, the united States-based
Centres for Disease Control warns
that death through the virus can take
place anytime between two to 21
days of infection, usually due to
multiple organ failure, loss of blood
or shock.

MODE OF CONTACT....

Experts say Ebola is introduced into
the human population through close
contact with the blood, secretions,
organs or other bodily fluids of
infected animals. And once it enters
an individual, s/he becomes a high
risk to everyone s/he comes into
contact with. And that’s why you
can’t afford to be careless with the
way you relate with people,
especially when it comes to intimate
relationships such as kissing,
necking and sexual intercourse.

The Lagos State Commissioner of
Health, Dr. Jide Idris, warns that
infection occurs from direct contact
— through broken skin or mucous
membranes — with the blood, or
other bodily fluids or secretions such
as poops, urine, saliva and semen of
infected people. The WHO
corroborates this claim

SEX AND THE VIRUS

How can Ebola in the semen infect
you, whether it is outside or inside of
the body? Experts proffer an answer.
The WHO states that people are
infectious as long as their blood and
secretions contain the virus. All you
need do to get infected is to have any
form of contact with the infected
semen and you are done!

A gynaecologist, Dr. Damilola
Akinduro, adds that in normal sexual
process, sperm ejaculated into a
woman’s vagina can live in her
cervical mucus or upper genital tract
for three to five days, making
fertilisation possible.

He also says sperm ejaculated
outside the body might survive in
semen — the fluid released during
ejaculation — up to a few hours. So,
even if you try to play safe by having
a man ejaculate outside of your body
in the name of coitus interruptus or
through anal and MouthAction, you may
still be infected within the few hours
that the sperm and the virus are still
alive. Scary, isn’t it?

And as terrible as the situation is,
WHO discloses that even men who
have recovered from the (Ebola)
illness can still spread the virus to
their partner through their semen for
up to seven weeks after recovery.

“For this reason, it is important for
men to avoid sexual intercourse for
at least seven weeks after recovery
or to wear condoms if having sexual
intercourse during seven weeks after
recovery,” WHO counsels.

WET DREAMS

Akinduro says that since most
people may be ignorant of their Ebola
status, parents should advise their
male adolescents who may have wet
dreams to wash their beddings and
other clothing materials that may
have been soiled in the process.
Indeed, experts at the European
Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control assure that Ebola virus is
easily killed by soap, bleach, sunlight
or drying.

“Machine washing clothes that have
been contaminated with fluids will
destroy Ebola,” they say; adding that
“Ebola virus survives only a short
time on surfaces that are in the sun
or have dried.”
Akinduro also urges careful handling
and safe disposal of used condoms,
so that people don’t come into
contact with them.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

As for knowing whether or not you
have the virus, the WHO says if you
have sudden onset of fever, intense
weakness, muscle pain, headache
and sore throat, don’t delay. Rather,
visit the hospital and have a medical
test. “It may make a difference
between dying and staying alive,”
Akinduro suggests.

The WHO also suggests that the
aforementioned typical signs and
symptoms are usually followed by
vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired
kidney and liver function, and in
some cases, both internal and
external bleeding. You don’t want to
go through this painful experience;
so, see the doctor without delay.

DRUG ADDICTS AT RISK

Experts note that needle-sharing
among people who inject drugs is a
very common phenomenon; and
blood transfer is common as a result.
It is common knowledge that drug
addicts who share needles risk a lot
of infectious diseases ranging from
HIV to Hepatitis B & C; but physicians
are now warning that drug addicts
are also at risk of contacting Ebola
virus if they share unsterilised
needles with infected person.

Akinduro adds that sharp objects
such as blades may also not be
shared. He even says since no one
knows his Ebola status, it is
advisable to never share sharp
objects, even among family
members.

“It doesn’t cost much to own a razor
blade and use it personally, if only to
prevent possible infection should
someone close to you be infected
with Ebola and you aren’t aware,” he
says.

SOURCE:- Punch Newspaper