Did you hear that the dreaded EBOLA Virus has entered Lagos? Things you need to know about Ebola Virus ...
1. It is a Central African disease that has travelled over countries in a living host to West Africa. It is easily spread by physical contact and eating contaminated bush meat. Major hosts are in 5 species of Bats but monkeys and apes are easily infected and killed.
2. It kills in a week, leaving no time to treat an individual.
3. It has no known vaccine or cure
4. Known cases have been experienced recently in Guniea, Liberia and Central Africa Rep, spreading eastwards and westwards towards Nigeria. Death toll so far in West Africa is over 100.
5. Two American doctors treating ebola patients have been infected and have been taken back to Atlanta, USA for treatment with a special aircraft made to carry only one person at a time. This is because of how contagious the virus is.
6. It will also be good to note that the government is not keeping any stone unturned to locate the where about of the used clothes (okirika) that was in same place in the flight with the corpse of the Anambra man that died in Liberia of the ebola virus. Meanwhile, the morticians at the Apex mortuary where he was deposited have been quarantined.
The Ebola outbreak of 2014 is the most challenging one witnessed in Africa. What we can do?
1. Avoid eating any bush meat for now! Especially Apes and Bats.
2. Wash your hands as regularly as possible, especially after shaking a stranger. It is spread by contact.
3.The most straightforward prevention method during Ebola outbreaks is not touching patients, their excretions, and body fluids, or possibly contaminated materials and utensils. Patients should be isolated, and medical staff should be trained and apply strict barrier nursing techniques (disposable face mask, gloves, goggles, and a gown at all times). Traditional burial rituals, especially those requiring embalming of bodies, should be discouraged or modified.
Awareness is key, don't just read or ignore...spread this campaign before the virus spreads! It doesn't matter how many times you get this message, keep spreading the news. Check it on Google for more information on Ebola. Stay safe.
US STATE DEPARTMENT EBOLA ALERT
In order to help our Embassy Community better understand some key points about Ebola virus we consulted with our medical specialists at the U S State Department & assembled this list below, worded in plain language for easy understanding.
• The suspected reservoirs for Ebola are fruit bats.
• Transmission to humans is thought to originate from infected bats or primates that have become infected by bats. Undercooked infected bat and primate (bush) meat transmits the virus to humans.
• Human to human transmission is only achieved by physical contact with a person who is acutely and gravely ill from Ebola virus or their body fluids.
• Transmission among humans is almost exclusively among caregiver family members or health care workers tending to the very ill.
• The virus is easily killed by contact with soap, bleach, sunlight, or drying. A washing machine will kill the virus in clothing saturated with infected body fluids.
• A person can incubate the virus without symptoms for 2-21 days, the average being 5-8 days before becoming ill. THEY ARE NOT CONTAGIOUS until they are acutely ill.
• Only when ill does the viral load express itself first in the blood and other bodily fluids (e.g vomit, feaces, urine,breast milk, semen and sweat).
• If you are walking around you are not infectious to others.
• There are documented cases from Kikwit, DRC of an Ebola outbreak in a village that had the custom of children never touching an ill adult. Children living for days in one room huts with parents who died from Ebola did not become infected
• You cant contract Ebola by handling money or swimming in a pool.
• There's no medical reason to stop flights,close borders, restrict travel or close embassies,businesses or schools.
• Always practice good hand washing techniques.
• You will not Contract ebola virus if you do not touch a dying person.
Pls share this information and try not to spread panic on social media.
Stay safe and well.
~Shared by Hon. Jude Mbaegbu (ksm)
