Ebola

Ebola Virus Disease: The emerging epidemic of West Africa 

Nigeria is presently facing threats from this dreadful disease. To the west of Nigeria, Ebola is  ravaging Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and if the spread continues it might get to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and even Nigeria. The threat is even more perturbing considering the high number of international flights in and out of West Africa. With the current war in the Central African Republic, refugees are migrating towards Chad and Cameroon which border Nigeria. Affectation of any of these countries would have immense public health implications. International trade and travel also puts Nigeria at high risk of importing the disease especially if necessary precautions are not taken early. There is a need for public awareness and public health preparations in the event that Nigeria would be affected by this disease. Today, we will broadly talk about Ebola. 

Brief History of Ebola Virus Disease:
The name Ebola was derived from the Ebola river. The Ebola River is situated in a small town called Yambuku in the Democratic Republic of Congo where Ebola virus disease was first reported in 1976. 318 persons were infected and the mortality rate was 88%.

Courtesy Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Mode of Spread:

Ebola is a communicable disease caused by the Ebola virus and spread via two major ways:

Person - Person Spread

• From an infected person (alive or dead) to a non-infected person through direct contact and also through contact with the blood, faeces, vomitus, urine, semen of the infected person or sharing needles and sharp objects with an infected person. 
• Also by touching, washing or kissing dead bodies or even washing hands in the same bucket as those who have touched the dead bodies. 

Animal - Man

• From direct contact with monkeys, Gorillas, Chimpanzees and bats or when eaten as bush meat. Symptoms and signs of Ebola Virus Disease: 

Symptoms 

Courtesy CDC

can start within 2 days of contact with an infected person or body. 
Early symptoms include flu-like symptoms – fever, muscle aches, malaise, sore throat, headache, abdominal pain and nausea. The symptoms may be confused with malaria. 
Later symptoms may include vomiting (which may contain blood), diarrhoea (which may contain blood), cough (which may contain blood) and bleeding from the nostrils and mouth, petechiae, purpura and ecchymoses are other symptoms. Vaginal bleed in the females.

Prevention and Treatment:

Treatment
No effective or commercially available treatment or vaccine for Ebola at the moment. There are drugs undergoing clinical trial eg. Zmap. 

 Prevention:
 • Create and spread the awareness about the disease.
• These are not the times to show how hospitable we are as a people (Nigerians) to strangers especially those from Ebola prone areas. So avoid handshakes with strangers
• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Do not touch people or the body secretions of people suspected of having Ebola infection
• Dead persons should be buried carefully. (sealed in leak proof materials and cremated or buried in sealed caskets.
• Avoid touching, washing or kissing dead bodies.
 Do not also wash hands together in the same bucket with persons who touch dead bodies.
• Do not touch or eat bush meat (Yes, I know, no bush meat)

by Dr. Obieze Nwanna - Nzewunwa

Sources include:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
World Health Organization (WHO):  Ebola virus disease, West Africa – update; Disease Outbreak News 24 June 2014