Know signs, symptoms of Ebola and be free — Nasidi, NCDC Director

As the fear of Ebola disease continues to prevail in the country, Project Director, Nigerian Centre forDisease Control, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, has emphasised the need for all Nigerians to know the signs and symptoms of Ebola diseaseHe warned that all sick individuals with severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea could turn out as Ebola patients until proved otherwise.Professor Nasidi, in a telephone interview, stated that for now, there was no evidence that any Nigerian has acquired Ebola disease,declaring that “if at all, any of the contacts with the Liberian man thatdied from Ebola comes down with any of the symptoms suggestive of the disease, Nigerians will be notified.”The medical expert, who emphasised that the disease is contracted through contact with a person infected with Ebola virus, declared, “there was an imported case of Ebola into Nigeria, but we are yet to confirm if any Nigerian had gotten infected from this. We are following the usual protocol. Weare monitoring the people that had contact with him. Only those who are sick can be checked.”Professor Nasidi, who remarked that some hand sanitizers might be protective against the virus, however, urged prompt reporting to the hospital when individuals develop symptoms such as severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea.“Individuals must know the symptoms of the disease and at thesame time not waste time in seeking medical help in case they have such symptoms or their neighbours develop these kinds of symptoms. Where a case of Ebola disease is picked early, only one in four of such person ends up dying. But if it is picked late, about three out of four will die.”Dr Adekunle Adeniji, Director of WHO National Polio laboratory, Department of Virology, University of Ibadan, while saying that Ebola disease spreads more through contact with a sick person that is down with the disease, however said it was basis-less for people to believe that through a mere handshake with an healthy person they can contract the infection.According to him, “we are not saying that by shaking hands people can contract Ebola, it is only by shaking hands with a sick person.The possibility of putting the hand afterwards into the mouth, nose and so on should not be ignored.“We are saying that in touching someone that is infected, one needs to be cautious. You cannot say that everyone should start to apply hand sanitizers after a hand shake. If that is the way things work, nobody will be living again. If you can see with the naked eyes the kinds of pathogens in the air you breathe in, you will probably say ‘I will not breathe again’. So it is not like that.”Dr Adeniji, noting that the Ebola virus must enter into the body before it could cause any havoc, declared that scientists are not sure whether the virus could be inhaled through the nose as an aerosol, too.According to him, “nobody is yet sure whether it is possible to take inthe virus into through the nose, conjunctiva of the eye or if one can carelessly allow it to enter one’s mouth. But we know that any close contact with whoever has the disease is a way of spreading it.”While stating that the mode of transmission of Ebola was still beingstudied, he also cautioned against sharing of utensils, beds, cloths andso on with a person infected with the disease, adding: “Ebola is not like HIV. It kills faster than HIV.”“You know one can have HIV for 10 years and it does not show up. Ebolais different. It will kill the affected person in a matter of days because it would have destroyed all the person’s internal organs but HIV is not like that,” Dr Adeniji said.However, Dr Adeniji, saying that Ebola disease could be a zoonotic disease because the fruit bat was its reservoir, cautioned against consumption of bush meat and its handling, saying the virus had spread from animals to humans.Dr Adeniji, saying that Ebola virus does nothing to a fruit bat, but when it gets to humans, it becomes a terrible organism, said individuals need to be very careful as the disease was spreading faster more among families and in hospitals  than in the general population.“We are sure contact with an infected person is a major means bywhich it spreads; it is not by shakinghands with someone on the street. It is a close contact with an infected person that is dangerous whether at home or in the hospital.  Also,  burying immediately the dead body of such an infected person is the only way to ensure that the virus is totally destroyed.”Meanwhile, Professor David Olaleye,of  the Department of Virology, University of Ibadan, also stressed the importance of good surveillanceon Nigeria’s land borders in curtailing the spread of Ebola virus.
Professor Olaleye, who remarked that screening of airline travellers was part of protocol to safeguard acountry from such a disease, said the same was the case when SARS broke out and suspected persons had to be quarantined.