Special daily chat with Dr Chireka! Ebola case reported in UK . Should we panic? It has been widely reported that Pauline Cafferkey, the South Lanarkshire nurse has caught Ebola after volunteering to serve in Sierra Leone and she is being treated in a London Hospital. The media has rightly so questioned the screening of health personnel coming from tour of duty of treating ebola in West Africa. It is reported that she raised concerns that she had ebola but her temperature was checked several times and it is reported that it was normal. She was then allowed to fly from Heathrow to Glasgow. Symptoms became clear and was later on diagnosed with Ebola. The public is worried that this single case can lead to several cases as the nurse travelled in a plane with other people and the doctor who was sitting next to the nurse is reported to be unhappy with the screening. The media thrive on big stories and at times mislead the public in order to sell their papers. We do not know the exact details of this nurse but let us look at the Ebola virus and how it is spread . This will help us to realise that this case is being blown out of proportion. How is the Ebola virus spread? This is very important to understand as an informed population will play an important role in preventing the spread of this virus. I urge you to spread this information to your friends and if each person reading this article can pass this information on to at least three other people and each person continues to reach three more new people then we will get this message to a wider audience. It is thought that fruit bats are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest. Ebola then spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. This means that it is not passed through air and you do not get it by being in the same bus or plane with an infected person unless you come into direct contact with the infected person or body fluids of infected people. This nurse was not bleeding , had no temperature or other symptoms so if this information is correct then it is highly unlikely that the other passengers in the plane have anything to worry. Having said that, anyone who was in that plane need to follow the advice from Public Health England and continue to seek advice from their general practitioner. Symptoms of Ebola virus disease The incubation period, that is the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days. Humans are not infectious until they develop symptoms. This means that unless a person has symptoms he or she will not pass the virus to other people. This is very important to understand so that people do not panic unnecessarily. This calls for personal responsibility as the infected individual can make a huge difference if he or she avoids contact with other people and calls for medical help. The nurse in question if she did not have symptoms then the public need not to worry but must seek medical advice if worried that they may have been put at risk. First symptoms of the virus are the sudden onset of fever fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding (e.g. oozing from the gums, blood in the stools). Symptoms of the nurse are not clear but if she was not vomiting, no diarrhoea or bleeding and non of her body fluids came into contact with anyone then the passengers in the same plane with the nurse should not panic a lot. This advice given here is just for general knowledge and I urge everyone involved with this nurse to seek medical advice from Public Health England and their general practitioner. Happy new year and no need to panic yet ! Dr Brighton Chireka GP and Patient Engagement Advocate
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:40:06 +0000
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