Ebola is a deadly virus and is termed as an infectious and often fatal disease if it goes untreated. It is caused by a virus of the Filoviridae family, genus Ebolavirus.
The infection is transmitted through skin contact as well as, body fluids including blood and tissues of the infected animals (monkey, chimp or fruit bat) or people.
The deadly virus tends to spread very fast among people, especially friends and family, who are the immediate caregivers of the infected individual or those who bury someone who has died from the disease.
Symptoms of an infected patient start developing from 2 to 21 days and it is said that a person cannot spread the disease unless the symptoms develop.
Some of those symptoms include; fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver functioning.
In some cases, both internal and external bleeding is witnessed.
According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), there is no proven treatment available for the virus but researchers are said to be working on it.
However, the Ebola virus can be managed by supportive care-rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids.
Some of these include; Fluids and electrolytes, oxygen, blood pressure, medication, blood transfusions and treatment for other infections.
Sources say that 90% of those that acquire the disease die.
Since the disease does not have a sure way of treatment, it is important to prevent it by all available means:
1.) Reduce direct contact with infected individuals; Always wear gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment when taking care of ill patients. Also, make sure you wash your hands after visiting patients in the hospital.
2.) Reduce contact with wildlife; Avoid interaction with wild animals such as fruit bats, monkeys, apes, forest antelopes or porcupines and the consumption of their raw meat.
Animals should also be handled with protective gear and animal products are supposed to be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
3.)Containment measures for those already infected with the disease include; Monitoring those that have been in contact with the infected person for a period of 21 days so as to prevent further spread of the disease.
Have safe and dignified burial of the dead as well as monitor those who might have been infected.
4.) Reduce acquiring the disease through sexual transmission; WHO recommends that male survivors of Ebola should practice safer sex and hygiene for 12 months from onset of symptoms or until their semen tests negative twice for Ebola virus.
In health care centres, workers should also take precautions through hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, safe injection practices and safe burial practices.
Workers attending to infected patients should apply extra precaution by wearing face protection (a face shield or a medical mask and goggles), a clean non-sterile long-sleeved gown, and gloves (sterile gloves for some procedures).
Samples taken from the patients and for investigation of the Ebola virus should be handled by trained staff and processed in suitably equipped laboratories.
WHO reports that an experimental vaccine proved highly effective in protecting against the virus in a major trial in Guinea in 2015.
Among the 5,837 people who received the vaccine, no Ebola cases were recorded 10 days or more after vaccination.
Kenyans are now on high alert on the virus after health authorities in Kericho County reported a suspected case of Ebola.
This was after a patient exhibited suspected symptoms of the haemorrhagic fever at Kericho County Referral Hospital.
On June 13, 2019 the government issued an alert to all health workers in the country as well as to the public on increased surveillance due to the Ebola threat.
This is after the deadly disease was confirmed in Kasese western Uganda when a 5-year-old boy who had traveled with the family from Congo tested positive.
Two other people from Uganda were also confirmed to be infected with Ebola that has been ravaging through Congo since August 2018.
According to Joshua Arusei, who is the Port Health Services officer more than 300 travelers had been screened since the outbreak was reported on Wednesday.
He added officers were examining all travelers from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
