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The government has taken steps to ease fears of the spread of the Ebola virus in the country. Earlier, a woman had been isolated after having symptoms similar to those of the Ebola virus. She was cleared and CS Health Sicily Kariuki said that there was no case of Ebola in Kenya. The Star spoke to Dr. Elvis Ogweno, a public health specialist.
What is Ebola?
Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease that most commonly affects humans and non-human primates (monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees).
How is the virus transmitted to humans?
You may be infected by direct contact (for example, in case of skin or mucous membrane damage to the eyes, nose or mouth with infected animals, by eating Ebola infected monkeys.
How is the virus transmitted in humans?
By direct contact with infected blood, vomit, stool or body fluids from a person with Ebola. The virus can also be present in the urine and sperm and can survive for a few hours on surfaces.
What is the duration of the incubation period?
It can take two to 21 days for humans with the virus to develop symptoms.
What are the first symptoms to appear after the incubation period?
The first symptoms may include sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle aches and sore throat. The following stages can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding. Patients tend to die from dehydration and organic insufficiency.
Is the disease often misdiagnosed?
Many common diseases can have the same symptoms, such as influenza or malaria.
What are measures taken after the diagnosis?
If a patient shows the first signs of EVD and has had a possible exposure, he should be immediately isolated. It is treated in isolation, its blood samples are collected and tested to confirm the infection.
Why is it so difficult to contain it in DR Congo?
There is distrust not only of foreigners, but also of anyone affiliated with the government, including locals who can contribute to vaccination and containment efforts. Some people in this region still do not believe that the Ebola virus is real. Others do not believe in the safety of the vaccine in general. Some people have avoided vaccination because they believe that the vaccine is a poison or a factor likely to make them sick. It is also very difficult to follow the person who had it first and spread it because of congestion. Poor infrastructure and insecurity in Kivu impede access and prevent the camp from settling there.
Is there a cure?
Vaccines and curative treatments are still being tested and are used to treat Ebola victims in DR Congo. Vaccines used in victims have a success rate of 93%.
MYTHS ON EBOLA
Myth # 1: Ebola is universally fatal.
Ebola can certainly be fatal, but not universally. The case fatality rate for Ebola and its close cousin, the Marburg virus, varies considerably depending on the context.
Myth # 2: Ebola is not treatable.
There are currently several effective Ebola treatments that can help people through the worst stages of the disease and increase their chances of survival. These treatments include early and careful resuscitation with intravenous fluids; blood products such as packed red blood cells (RBCs), platelets, concentrations of clotting factors to prevent bleeding; antibiotics to treat common bacterial coinfections, respiratory badistance with oxygen (in severe cases, via a ventilator) and potent vasoactive drugs to counter the effects of shock.
Myth # 3: Ebola is the most contagious
The Ebola virus is the most contagious disease and will spread quickly to the United States as it enters the country. Ebola is not the most contagious disease known. It is not suspended in air or spread by aerosols (small droplets floating in the air). This makes it less contagious than a host of other diseases, such as measles, chicken pox, tuberculosis or even seasonal flu. To our knowledge, Ebola is transmitted only through close physical contact, particularly with body fluids. Therefore, unless someone in the subway vomits, produces bowel movements or bleeds, he will not give you the Ebola virus.
Myth # 4: We must give experiences
Ebola drugs to as many Africans as possible to help stop the epidemic. Any human being receiving an experimental treatment that has not yet been proven safe and effective in humans is, by definition, experienced. Experiencing humans, even those in poor countries, is not necessarily a bad thing. Doing research in resource-constrained environments is part of what I do for Partners in Health. However, every person enrolled in a medical research study, whether American or African, is entitled to the same basic international ethical protections – and people in poor countries deserve special protections.
Myth # 5: Nothing can be done to help
Africa is too poor. The real tragedy of the Ebola outbreak is that most Africans do not have access to the same medicines, equipment, doctors and skilled nurses available for decades in the United States and Europe. Access to these things could have prevented the current outbreak from breaking loose. These same measures could also be used to reduce mortality from a variety of other diseases, apart from Ebola, which currently kill Africans every day.
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