Amidst the fear that Ebola
haemorrhagic virus has found its
way into Nigeria and the concern
over possible hazards that the
virus may cause to public health in
the country, VERA ONANA writes
on the deadly virus and what
Nigerians can do to prevent the
spread of the disease.
ONE cannot doubt the fact that
many Nigerians are deeply
concerned about the outbreak of
Ebola haemorrhagic virus which
has claimed many lives in Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Since the first case of the deadly
disease was reported in Lagos
when a Liberian, Mr Patrick
Sawyer, reportedly slumped at the
Murtala Mohammed International
Airport, Lagos, and was
subsequently rushed to a private
hospital in the city, the fear of the
virus has spread like wildfire
among Nigerians.
By now, few Nigerians can claim
not to have heard about the
disease. However, for that category
of Nigerians, their ignorance is
bound to fade away with time as a
lot of awareness is being created
about the disease.
It needs be stressed that the
probability that this dreadful virus
may have found its way into the
Africa’s most populous country
cannot be ruled out, since the
virus spreads through contact with
bodily fluids, and there is fear in
many quarters that some Nigerians
may have had contact with the
Liberian before and after his death.
How Sawyer contracted the virus
Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s
Finance Ministry, died on Friday
after arriving at Lagos airport on
June 20, having vomited and
suffered diarrhoea on two flights.
The 40-year-old Liberian/U.S.
citizen had been to the funeral of
his sister who also died from the
disease. He was put in isolation at
the First Consultants Hospital in
Obalende, one of the most crowded
parts of the city.
Mr Sawyer took two flights from
Monrovia to Lome en route Lagos.
So far, 59 people, who came in
contact with Mr Sawyer, have been
identified by Nigerian health
officials and are under
surveillance, though health
officials have said they are looking
at contacting 30,000 people who
could be at risk of contracting the
disease.
How Ebola virus started
In 1976, Ebola (named after the
Ebola River in Zaire) first emerged
in Sudan and Zaire. The first
outbreak of Ebola (Ebola-Sudan)
infected over 284 people, with a
mortality rate of 53 per cent. A few
months later, the second Ebola
virus emerged from Yambuku,
Zaire, Ebola-Zaire (EBOZ). EBOZ,
with the highest mortality rate of
any of the Ebola viruses (88 per
cent), infected 318 people. Despite
the tremendous effort of
experienced and dedicated
researchers, Ebola’s natural
reservoir was never identified. The
third strain of Ebola, Ebola Reston
(EBOR), was first identified in 1989
when infected monkeys were
imported into Reston, Virginia,
from Mindanao in the Philippines.
Fortunately, the few people who
were infected with EBOR
(seroconverted) never developed
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF).
The last known strain of Ebola,
Ebola Cote d’Ivoire (EBO-CI), was
discovered in 1994 when a female
ethologist performing a necropsy
on a dead chimpanzee from the
Tai Forest, Cote d’Ivoire,
accidentally infected herself during
the necropsy.
Signs and symptoms of Ebola
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West
Africa is the worst outbreak of the
haemorrhagic disease since it was
discovered in 1976. In total, 1,201
cases including 672 deaths (case
fatality rate 56 per cent) have been
reported during the 2014 outbreak.
Since Ebola was discovered in
1976, some 1,200 people have
been killed by the virus from 3,147
cases – illustrating the virulence of
the virus.
Symptoms present themselves
anywhere from two to 21 days
after infection, but mostly between
day eight and 10 days. The
symptoms are similar to the flu,
cholera, typhoid and malaria and
they include: fever, headache, joint
and muscle aches, weakness,
diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain
and lack of appetite.
This is followed by vomiting,
diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney
and liver function, and in some
cases, both internal and external
bleeding. Bleeding can occur from
the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and
anus.
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) reports that laboratory
findings include low white blood
cell and platelet counts and
elevated liver enzymes.
People are infectious as long as
their blood and secretions contain
the virus. Ebola virus was isolated
from semen 61 days after onset of
illness in a man who was infected
in a laboratory.
Science writer, David Quammen,
who has investigated the origins
and spread of the virus, writes that
“RNA viruses (of which Ebola is
one) produce acute infections,
severe for a short time and then
gone. Either they soon disappear
or they kill you.”
Symptoms
A person infected with Ebola won’t
realise the deadly disease is
lurking in their body for up to three
weeks. When it hits, the onset is
sudden and harsh. A fever,
crippling headaches and muscle
aches are the first sign that
something is wrong. But the fact
the virus mimics the symptoms of
a common cold means it is
difficult to spot. Within a few days,
the virus causes a condition
known as disseminated
intravascular coagulation.
It causes blood clots and
haemorrhaging. In Ebola victims,
the clots affect their liver, spleen,
brain and other internal organs,
forcing capillaries to bleed into the
surrounding tissue. Nausea,
vomiting and diarrhoea with blood
and mucus, conjunctivitis and a
sore throat follow. A rash is then
likely to appear on the torso,
spreading quickly to the limbs and
head.
The patient will then endure
spontaneous bleeding from their
ears, eyes, mouth and other
orifices as well as any breaks in
the skin. Internally they will suffer
bleeding in the gastrointestinal
tract and internal organs, as the
virus pierces veins and blood
vessels. Death is usually brought
on by haemorrhaging, shock or
renal failure and typically occurs
between eight and 17 days after a
person first falls ill.
Are you at risk of catching the
incurable, deadly disease?
Ebola is a severe, often fatal
illness; with a death rate of up to
90 per cent. The illness affects
humans as well as primates,
including monkeys, gorillas and
chimpanzees.
How is Ebola virus transmitted?
Ebola is transmitted through close
contact with the blood, secretions,
organs or other bodily fluids of
infected animals. In Africa infection
in humans has happened as a
result of contact with chimpanzees,
gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest
antelope and porcupines found ill
or dead in the rainforest.
Once a person becomes infected,
the virus can spread through
contact with a sufferer’s blood,
urine, saliva, stools and semen. A
person can also become infected if
broken skin comes into contact
with a victim’s soiled clothing, bed
linen or used needles.
Those at risk
Health workers, family members or
others in close contact with
infected people, mourners with
direct contact with the bodies of
deceased victims and hunters in
contact with dead animals.
When should you seek medical
care?
If a person is in an area affected
by the outbreak, or has been in
contact with a person known or
suspected to have Ebola, they
should seek medical help
immediately.
What is the treatment?
Severely ill patients require
intensive supportive care. They
need intravenous fluids to
rehydrate them. But there is
currently no specific treatment for
the disease. Some patients will
recover with the appropriate care.
Can Ebola be prevented?
Currently there is no licensed
vaccine for Ebola. Several are
being tested but are not available
for clinical use.
Is it safe to travel to affected
areas?
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) reviews the public health
situation regularly, and
recommends travel or trade
restrictions if necessary. The risk
of infection for travellers is very
low since person-to-person
transmission results from direct
contact with bodily fluids of
victims.
No comments:
Post a Comment