As the fear of Ebola disease continues to prevail
in the country, Project Director, Nigerian Centre
for Disease Control, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi,
has emphasised the need for all Nigerians to
know the signs and symptoms of Ebola disease
He 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 that died 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. We are 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 the same 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 in the 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 being studied, he also cautioned
against sharing of utensils, beds, cloths and so
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. Ebola is 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 by which it spreads; it is not by
shaking hands 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 surveillance on
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 a country from such a disease, said
the same was the case when SARS broke out and
suspected persons had to be quarantined.

http://tribune.com.ng/your-health/item/12149-know-signs-symptoms-of-ebola-and-be-free-nasidi-ncdc-director

Ebola virus disease ( EVD ) or Ebola hemorrhagic
fever ( EHF ) is the human disease caused by the
ebola virus . Symptoms typically start two days to
three weeks after contracting the virus, with a
fever , throat and muscle pains, and headaches.
There is then typically nausea, vomiting, and
diarrhea , along with decreased functioning of the
liver and kidneys. At this point, some people
begin to have problems with bleeding .
The disease is usually acquired when a person
comes into contact with the blood or bodily fluids
of an infected animal such as a monkey or fruit
bat . Fruit bats are believed to carry and spread
the virus without being affected by it. Once
infection of a human occurs, the disease may be
spread from one person to another. Male
survivors may be able to transmit the disease via
their semen for nearly two months. To make the
diagnosis, typically other diseases with similar
symptoms such as malaria, cholera and other
viral hemorrhagic fever are first excluded. The
blood may then be tested for antibodies to the
virus, or the viral RNA, or the virus itself, to
confirm the diagnosis.
Prevention includes decreasing the spread of the
disease from infected monkeys and pigs to
humans. This may be done by checking these
types of animals for infection and killing and
properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is
discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing
protective clothing when handling meat may also
be helpful, as is wearing protective clothing and
washing hands when around a person who has
the disease. Samples of bodily fluids and tissues
from people with the disease should be handled
with special caution.
There is no specific treatment for the virus.
Efforts to help persons who are infected include
giving them either oral rehydration therapy or
intravenous fluids .The disease has a high
mortality rate : often between 50% and 90% of
those who are infected with the virus.The
disease was first identified in the Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo . It typically
occurs in outbreaks in tropical regions of Sub-
Saharan Africa.Between 1976, when it was
first identified, and 2014, fewer than 1,000 people
a year have been infected.The largest
outbreak to date is the ongoing 2014 West Africa
Ebola outbreak, which is affecting Guinea, Sierra
Leone , and Liberia. Efforts are ongoing to develop
a vaccine ; however, none exists as of 2014.