A new wave of medical tension has broken through the globe with the invasion of Ebola virus-a fearful and dreaded disease making it rounds in countries of the world. When the scourge of the disease was first announced by the World Health Organisation, the severity of its implications and subsequent outcome of this catastrophe was not well pronounced until recently, when versions of its aftermath began showing up in written and verbal presentations at gatherings and symposiums world over.
For those who do not know, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe fatal illness in humans with outbreaks causing a fatality rate of up to 90%. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats are also considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care and no licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.
Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. It then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission with infection resulting from direct contact through broken skin or mucus membrane) with the blood secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.
Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola and men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.
The EDV is a severe acute viral illness often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
Other disease that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of EDV can be made include: malaria, typhoid, fever, cholera, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fever.
People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus and the incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms is 2 to 21 days.
Ebola virus infections can be diagnosed in a laboratory through several types of tests but, samples from patients are an extreme hazardous risk; testing should be conducted under maximum containment conditions.
Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD. This has occurred through close contacts with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.
No licensed vaccine for EVD is available and no specific treatment is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care and Patients are frequently dehydrated, and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids. No specific treatment is available.
In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.
In Africa, during EDV outbreaks, educational public health messages for risk reduction focuses on factors like: reducing the risk of wildlife-to-human transmission from contact with infected fruit bats or Monkey/Apes and the consumption of their raw meat. Animals should be handled with gloves and other appropriate protective clothing and animal product (blood and meat) should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
Also, Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission in the community arising from direct or close contact with infected patients, particularly with their bodily fluids is a sure way to prevent the infection. Close physical contact with Ebola patients should be avoided. Gloves and appropriate equipment should be worn when taking care of ill patients at home. Regular hand-washing is required after visiting patients in hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home.
Communities affected by Ebola should inform the population about the nature of the disease and about outbreak containment measures, including burial of the dead. People who have died from Ebola should be promptly and buried.
Pig farms can play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on these farms. Appropriate biosecurity measures therefore should be in place to limit the transmission.
Human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus is primarily associated with direct or indirect contact with blood and body fluids.
It is not always possible to identify patients with EBV early because initial symptoms may be non-specific. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients –regardless of their diagnosis-in all work practices at all times.
Individuals should therefore take note of this deadly disease aiming to claim and utterly destroy lives. As stated earlier, the cure for Ebola has not been found and this poses more reasons for prevention and self-protection.
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