BASIC THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) 1. EVD is also known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) 2. Its not air-borne like TB, meaning u cant contract it just by staying in same church hall or office or market or vehicle with infected person. 3. Its a highly contagious infection dat spreads from animals to humans, meaning u can only be infected thru direct contact with body fluids or secretions of infected man or animals. 4. Animal to man transmission occurs when u come in contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines. These animals remain infectious whether ill or dead. 5. Human to human transmission occurs when u come in direct contact with blood, secretions and other body fluids of infected persons including semen, vaginal fluid, breastmilk, saliva etc. 6. U can also be infected thru indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids, meaning u can be infected when u share body piercing instruments such as syringe& needles, razor blades etc. Infection is also possible in hospitals or clinics esp when u use same bed clothings with infected people. Use of same cutleries and clothings at home, touching corpses of infected people equally pose great risks. 7. Health care workers like doctors, nurses, lab scientists morticians, mortuary attendents, even cleaners in clinics need strict infection control precautions. 8. EVD symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomitting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney/liver function, internal and external bleeding. Incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days. 9. Accurate diagnosis is important bcos other diseases also show these symptoms. So b4 u conclude its EVD, diagnosis must have RULED OUT malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, hepatitis, rickettsiosis, meningitis, relapsing fever, other viral hemorrhagic fevers. Once u notice or suspect symptoms go straight to standard hospitals/clinics for accurate diagnosis and management. 10. WHO says no licensed vaccine is available now for clinical use. Also no specific treatment is available. However medical practitioners are capable of managing patients and containing d infections especially when u report cases promptly. This is d case with most diseases caused by viruses. 11. EVD first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and DR Congo; name derived from Ebola River in DR Congo. Its most prevalent in SubSahara Africa particularly Central and West Africa regions. 12. U dont need to see EVD an a special attack of witches &wizards, demons, principalities... Nothing whatsoever makes this disease more SATANIC than other communicable diseases. 13. EVD is one of many zoonotic diseases i.e. transmitted from animals to man. Nothing mythic or mysterious about it. It can be diagnosed, and managed with prompt medical attention. 14. U dont need to live in FEAR AND TOMENT just at d mention of this disease, even when u are neither in endemic/prone region nor vulnerable to risky livestyles! Just observe d precautionary measures and live positively. God bless you!
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 08:23:19 +0000
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