Be wary of Ebola infection

It has been noted that, the incubation period, could last for  about 1 week (rarely up to 2 weeks) after infection, symptoms include:

•              Arthritis

•              Backache (low-back pain)

•              Chills

•              Diarrhea

•              Fatigue

•              Fever

•              Headache

•              Malaise

•              Nausea

•              Sore throat

•              Vomiting

 While late symptoms include:

•              Bleeding from eyes, ears, and nose

•              Bleeding from the mouth and rectum (gastrointestinal bleeding)

•              Eye swelling (conjunctivitis)

•              Genital swelling (labia and scrotum)

•              Increased feeling of pain in the skin

•              Rash over the entire body that often contains blood (hemorrhagic)

•              Roof of mouth looks red

There may also be signs and symptoms of:

•              Coma

•              Disseminated intravascular coagulation

•              Shock

•              Fever

•              Headache

•              Muscle aches

•              Sore throat

•              Weakness

•              Diarrhoea

As the disease gets worse, people who are infected may develop:

•         Bleeding inside and outside of the body

•         Rash

•         Trouble breathing

Preventive measures to be taken

The disease is mostly contracted from infected animals, while it is passed through body fluids from one infected human to another.  It is however of use to reduce or and eliminate contacts with animals, especially wild animals.

Avoid contact with forest antelopes, porcupines, and fruit bats, and do not handle live or dead wild animals such as primates too.

The corpse of an Ebola victim is also highly infectious and should be handled with care, even as the world given standard to discard such bodies is to cremate in order to completely eliminate the virus.

As it could be contracted through infected salver, covering of the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing is also one way to prevent spreading it.

Good personal hygiene and sanitation is also one preventive measure to be taken; wash hands as often as possible, conveniently, with warm water and soap and use hand sanitizers especially when out of reach for water.

Facts about Ebola:

Ebola virus infection is a human disease, contracted through fluids from infected animals; whether dead or alive.

The virus is of five types namely:

Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Ivory Coast, Ebola Bundibugyo and Ebola Reston; of all the viruses, only Ebola Reston is not found in Africa, while its tendency to be completely harmful has not been disclosed as it is only known to affect animals alone.

Its first outbreak was in 1976 at the Republic of Congo, in central Africa and also in south Sudan. It was named after the Ebola River where the virus was first noticed.

The MSF says while the virus is believed to be able to survive for some days in liquid outside an infected organism, it is fragile and chlorine disinfection, heat, direct sunlight, soaps and detergents can kill it.