As the deadly Ebola virus gains more attention around the globe, some western countries are warning travelers to avoid visiting some West African nations.
According to news agencies, the American health agency CDC has sent 70 staffers to West
Africa to help control the outbreak and screen passengers going to the US.
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Here are some fast facts on what you need to know about the virus that has claimed nearly 900 lives in West Africa.
Here are some fast facts on what you need to know about Ebola:
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| Sunday Alamba/AP A Nigerian health official wears a protective suit before screening passengers at an airport in Lagos, Nigeria on Monday. The precaution comes as nearly 900 people have died from the Ebola virus. |
HOW IS EBOLA CONTRACTED?
- Human-to-human transmission, primarily through direct or indirect contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, urine, feces, or semen
- Contact with contaminated objects such as needles and/or soiled bedding or clothing
- It's not airborne like the flu
- Sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat
- Vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, some cases internal and external bleeding
- Anywhere from 2 to 21 days, though 8 to 10 days is most common
- Malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, relapsing fever, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral haemorrhagic fevers
- Avoid direct contact with bodily fluids, someone suffering from Ebola or already deceased from it
- Wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when in risk of such contact
- Wear gloves, a mask, and a long-protective gown if coming within a meter of an infected patient
- Anyone suspected of contracting the virus should be isolated and public health professionals notified
- Balancing the patient's fluids and electrolytes
- Maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure
- Treating them for any complicating infections
- There is no licensed vaccine available though several are being tested
- Primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests
- In Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone there have been 1,440 suspect and confirmed cases and 826 deaths as of July 30
- Suspected cases have been reported in Lagos , Nigeria
- Border patrol agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Dulles Airport in Washington have been instructed to question incoming travelers about possible exposure to the virus and look for its symptoms
- UK Border Control personnel are active,y screening new arrivals from West Africa and cabin crew are observing passengers on incoming flights
There are many theories about where the virus came from but western health officials say it came from eating infected bats and apes. Many Africans living on the continent and in diaspora do not believe and claim the virus was man made in the US and transported to Africa to reduce the population of people in Africa. Within a few weeks almost a thousand people have died.
Bottom line is this:
- If you know someone who has the Ebola symptoms - tell them to go to the nearest clinic as fast as possible.
- If that is not possible, keep away from members of the public, they should drink lots of water and use a re-hydration aid such as Dioralyte Relief
- Wash your hands with water and soap whenever you arrive at a destination and when you get back home - you can use hand sanitizers such as this one that I find quite effective and pleasant
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