My earlier post was not intended to bash my friends who were expressing reservation about interacting with me. I did it just to bring to the fore the stigmatization (in the name of preventive measures) to which Liberians coming from home will be exposed. In no way am I offended by this, I clearly understand the fears of Liberians in the diaspora. What intrgues me is the fact that instead of reading about the virus and trying to understand its mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, people are committing the age old fallacy of joining the bandwagon. For the sake of those who have not researched the virus, Iam posting several frquently asked questions about the virus. The sweetest thing in life is to be alive, if anyone think that I would knowingly travel to the States if I were infected, then that person really does not know me. I have been in the States for sic days now without displaying any of the early synptoms (high fever, nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, body ache or coughing). The early symptoms are manifested within two days after been infected. The late symptoms (same as listed above except with signs of blood) occur later. Therefore, I want to allay your fears and please read the FAQs.below: Ebola – frequently asked questions • Can Ebola spread through the air? No • Can Ebola spread through water? Only in still standing water, such as a bucket for communal washing. • Can it spread through mosquito bites? No • If people who have Ebola use a river, and you live further down the river, can you get it? Not in fast running water some distance away. • If you touch a person who is in the incubation period, will you get Ebola? No, you can only contract it from an acutely ill person who already has the symptoms. • If you don’t know a person has Ebola and you touch that person, can you be infected? You must have significant contact with some of the body fluids, such as vomit, blood, faeces, urine or sputum of an infected person, to become infected, not just a quick touch. Your intact skin is a good barrier against infection, but if you have some cuts or scratches, and you get a significant amount of body fluids from a sick person onto it, or should you touch your mouth or face with a hand that has been in contact with the body fluids of a sick person, you may become infected. • Can you get Ebola from the sweat of someone? Only if there is a large amount of sweat, so that the person is quite wet from sweating, and you have significant contact with it, but not from a quick touch on a small area. • How do you know a person has Ebola? The person is very ill with a high fever, and usually appears weak. He may have all the other symptoms of Ebola such as vomiting, diarrhoea, bleeding etc., and he may have the history of having been in contact with an Ebola case, or at a funeral. One only knows for certain if the person has tested positive with laboratory tests. • How long does it get to become infected? Between 2 to 21 days • Are there people who survive? Yes, but not many. • How can you prevent getting Ebola? Avoid direct contact with a sick person – keep a distance of 1 meter between yourself and the sick person; don’t touch the body of a dead person; wash your hands frequently. • What will we do if someone here becomes infected with Ebola? The person will be cared for just like any other patient, with medicine to relieve fever, pain, nausea and dehydration. The only difference is that the care will be in a separate special ward, with the nursing staff wearing protective equipment to prevent them being infected or from spreading the disease. • If we live in crowded conditions, will we easily get Ebola? With good hygiene measures, such as daily bathing, and frequent washing of hands, as well as maintaining a distance of a meter from a sick person, being many people in a sleeping unit will not be a greater risk for getting Ebola. • If I sit in a chair in which a person with Ebola sat, will I get the disease? No. Only if you have significant direct contact with the body fluids of a sick person. • If I become one of the contacts for an Ebola case, how long will I be stuck in Liberia? The incubation period is maximum 21 days, so that a contact person will be observed for 21 days. • If I hold a cell phone which has been held by an Ebola patient, can I become infected? Only if the sick person has spilled an amount of bodily fluids onto the phone and you hold the phone shortly afterwards, if you have some cuts on your skin or touch your mouth with the same hand.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:54:56 +0000
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