EBOLA DISEASE, DEADLY THAN H.I.V DISEASE...BEWARE!

Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is the human disease caused by ebola viruses. Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus with a fever, throat and muscle pains, and headaches. There is then nausea, vomiting and diarrhea along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. At this point some people begin to have problems with bleeding.[1]

The disease is first acquired by a population when a person comes into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal such as a monkey or fruit bat. Fruit bats are believed to carry and spread the disease without being affected by it. Once infection occurs, the disease may be spread from one person to another. Men who survive may be able to transmit the disease sexually for nearly two months. To make the diagnosis, typically other diseases with similar symptoms such as malaria, cholera and other viral hemorrhagic fever are excluded. The blood may then be tested for either antibodies to the virus, the viral RNA, or the virus itself to confirm the diagnosis.[1]

Prevention involves decreasing the spread of the disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking these animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may be helpful, as may wearing protective clothing and washing hands when around someone sick with the disease. Samples from people with the disease should be handled with an extra degree of caution.[1]

There is no specific treatment for the virus with efforts to help people including giving the person either oral rehydration therapy or intravenous fluids.[1] The disease has a high death rate: often between 50% and 90%.[1][2] It typically occurs in outbreaks in tropical regions of Sub-Saharan Africa.[1] Between 1976, when it was first identified, and 2014, fewer than 1,000 people a year have been infected.[1][3] The largest outbreak as of 2014 is the ongoing 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which is affecting Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.[3] The disease was first identified in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Efforts are ongoing to develop a vaccine; however, none exists as of 2014

Lagos (AFP) - A Liberian man has been hospitalised in Lagos with Ebola-like symptoms, but it is not yet clear if he is infected with the killer virus, Nigerian officials said Thursday.

The 40-year-old Monrovia resident arrived in Nigeria's mega-city on Sunday and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday suffering from severe vomiting and diarrhoea, said Yewande Adesina, the special advisor on health for the Lagos state government.

The patient was "detained for possible Ebola infection while blood samples were sent to the Virology Reference Laboratory in Lagos as well as to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Dakar," she said.

Extra precaution was taken at the hospital because the patient was suffering from "symptoms associated with Ebola," she added.

"Results are still pending. Presently the patient's condition is stable and he is in recovery," Adesina told journalists. "The diarrhoea and vomiting have stopped. He is still under isolation."

A third laboratory outside Nigeria must also test the samples before a final determination on Ebola can be reached, Adesina said.

The patient travelled from Monrovia to Lagos via Togo's capital Lome.

The WHO has recorded more than 900 cases of Ebola in the epidemic that has raged across West Africa in recent months, but this is the first suspected case to emerge in Nigeria.

Liberia has recorded 172 cases of the disease, including 105 deaths.

The epidemic is the worst-ever since the virus first emerged in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Lagos government has begun rolling out an emergency response in a bid to contain any potential spread of the virus across the congested city of more than 20 million people, with poor sanitation and health infrastructure.

Ebola is a form of haemorrhagic fever which is deadly in up to 90 percent of cases.

It can fell victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea -- and in some cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.

Ebola is believed to be carried by animals hunted for meat, notably bats.

It spreads among humans via bodily fluids including sweat, meaning you can get sick from simply touching an infected person. With no vaccine, patients believed to have caught the virus must be isolated to prevent further contagion.

Federal Government Friday confirmed the Ebola Virus death that claimed one Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian man suspected to have imported the deadly Ebola virus into Lagos.

Announcing this in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the patient was subjected to thorough medical evaluation where laboratory investigations were also carried out and his blood sample taken to the advanced laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, WHO reference laboratory in Darkar Senegal and CDC laboratory in Atlanta, USA, which confirmed the diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease.

It will be recalled that the confirmation of the outbreak of the virus in Lagos on Thursday, July 24 by the Lagos State Ministry of health caused panic across the country.

This was after Nigerians were alerted on 22nd July, 2014, on a suspected case of Ebola Virus Disease, in Lagos involving a 40-year old man travelling from Monrovia, Liberia to Nigeria on Asky Airline via Lome to Lagos.

The passenger was said to have fever, and vomiting with diarrhea on arrival at the airport and was handed over by the airline to the Port health Services of the Federal ministry of Health, who quickly isolated him and transported him to the hospital to avoid contact with the general public.

But after the confirmation of the results by other laboratories outside Nigeria and despite the urgent specialized barrier nursing care provided for the patient in a Lagos Hospital, the patient unfortunately passed away in the early hours of Friday.

As part of effort to contain the spread of the virus, the health Minister said certain measures had already been taken by the Ministry, which include: tracing and investigating all the passengers the patient came with; placing all ports of entry under red alert in line with WHO regulations; equipped all government tertiary health institutions in Nigeria to handle any emergency that may arise from the disease and providing supportive drugs and medical consumables at all entry points and stepping up collaboration with all the States of the federation.

‘‘I want to assure the general public that the FMOH is presently working with other ministries, agencies and international organizations as well as the Lagos State Government to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

‘‘Emergency operation centres had been established and coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC of the federal Ministry of health in collaboration with an inter ministerial committee set up by the President,’’ he added.

The committee according to him, is headed by the Minister of Information, Mr. Maku , set up to stimulate sensitization of the Nigerian public on the danger and preventive measures on Ebola Virus disease.

For any enquiry and complain concerning Ebola Virus cases and outbreak, the Minister said the following numbers had been opened to reach the centre: 08023210923, 08097979595 and 07067352220 with an email: ebolainfo@health.gov.ng.

He implored all citizens to be vigilant and ensure improved personal and environmental hygiene and to report any suspected case to the nearest medical facility.

While stressing the need for citizens to be vigilant and sensitive about the virus, the Minister also said every needed measure to control the possible spread of the virus had been taken by the Ministry and urged Nigerians to remain calm.

Also speaking on the development, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said jingles and other awareness programmes had been prepared by his committee to help spread the awareness in the conventional media and social media.

He however, appealed to all media outfits to support government effort in curbing the spread of the virus by airing the jingles and other programmes lined up free of charge.

‘‘This is a national emergency and so, I expect no demand for payment from any media to air the jingles and programmes prepared by the centre and Presidential committee on Ebola virus.’

FINALLY,

EBOLA VIRUS ! EBOLA VIRUS !! EBOLA !!!

PLEASE! BE MINDFUL OF WHO YOU TOUCH! AN EBOLA VIRUS PATIENT WAS DISCOVERED IN LAGOS ON THURSDAY (24-7-2014). THE VIRUS CAN BE SPREAD BY TOUCHING AND HAS NO CURE NOW! # BEWARE ALSO SPREAD THE NEWS

Trouble looms.

Nothn dey happen

only hope in God

D fastest killer pls God help us oooo

God dey

Hahahahahahaha, wahala don land 4 9ja. God!!!