The outbreak of the Ebola virus has continued to instil fear in the minds of many Nigerians, though the Ministry of Health has continued to allay this fear. Woman Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, writes on the disease, its prevention and treatment options
Until March 21, when the outbreak of Ebola was confirmed in the West African country, Guinea, not many Nigerians gave it so much attention. Between then and now, reports say the death toll from Ebola in Guinea has reached 90 out of the confirmed 127 cases.
The disease has also spread to three other countries – Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Mali – with each recording deaths.
The outbreak has sent shock waves to other West African countries that know little about the disease or how it is transmitted. The cases in Mali have increased the fears that it is spreading through West Africa. Ghana was said to have first suspected the deadly disease, but it was debunked, after the dead was examined.
Also in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health recently, in a statement, allayed fears of the virus existing in the country. Rather, what has been reported is the Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF), a more vicious malaria semblance, in Nasarawa State.
According to the statement, “investigation has revealed that the outbreak is a case of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever and not that of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever as erroneously reported”.
Despite this assurance, Nigerians have continued to express fears of possible invasion of the deadly disease, with many citing porous land borders and exposure of health workers as sources of worry to the authority for possible outbreak of the disease.
The Ebola virus was first associated with an outbreak of 318 cases of a haemorrhagic disease in Zaire. Of the 318 cases, 280 of them died quickly. That same year (1976), 284 people in Sudan also became infected with the virus and 156 died.
The Ebola virus is named after the Ebola River, in the Congo. The disease has occurred in Congo, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda. The viruses that cause Ebola and Marburg are similar, infecting both monkeys and people. The outbreaks of these diseases are often self-contained, however, because they kill their hosts so quickly that they rapidly run out of people to infect.
The Ebola virus spreads through the blood, multiplying in many organs. It causes severe damage to the liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, ovaries and testes. Platelets and linings of arteries are severely damaged, which results in profuse bleeding. Mucosal surfaces of the stomach, heart membrane, and vagina are also affected. Internal bleeding results in shock and acute respiratory distress, leading to death.
Ebola is often transmitted between humans when the bodily fluids of infected people contaminate others, usually through broken skin or mucous membranes.
Epidemics result from person-to-person contact within communities, families and hospitals, or from inadvertent laboratory exposures.
Healthcare staff are particularly at risk and the illness has been known to spread after funerals in which mourners have had direct contact with the body of the victim.
Health Protection Scotland said the risk of travellers becoming infected is “extremely low”, unless there has been direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected people or animals.
Against this backdrop, the Director of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Abdusalami Nasidi, stated that public awareness is being strengthened to enlighten the public on the possible risk factors of contracting Ebola.
According to Nasidi, “since the vector for Ebola is already known to be among certain animals, we advise the general public to be very careful and cautious of their contacts with these animals, particularly monkeys and bats.
“Perhaps, one should stress that this is not a time for hunters and those who delight in gaming for monkeys to go after them, because they easily harbour the Ebola virus likewise the fruit bats, all of which our people delight in hunting.”
Once a patient is infected with Ebola, the incubation period is between four to 16 days. The onset of disease is sudden, with fever, chills, headache, anorexia, and muscle pain. As the disease progresses, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, stomach pain, and diarrhoea are common. Most patients develop severe haemorrhage, usually between five and seven days. Bleeding occurs from multiple sites, including the digestive tract, lungs and gums. Death occurs within seven to 16 days.
There are no drugs that work against Ebola, and there is no known vaccine. Therapy involving blood plasma from people who have recovered, anti-coagulation agents which attempt to reduce haemorrhaging, and interferon have been used with limited success. Their effectiveness remains controversial.
According to Dr. Nasidi, “the most effective way to reduce or prevent transmission in an outbreak is through the proper use of barrier protection for doctors and nurses. This includes the use of gloves and masks, with gloves being changed after every patient. Another important protection in a hospital is being sure all equipment is properly sterilised.”
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, however, has assured Nigerians that the government was doing its best to ensure that persons coming into Nigeria from the country reported to have had cases of the Ebola virus were properly checked at the port of entry.