THE FEAR OF EBOLA AS A WORLD RAVAGING VIRUS                     

THAT THE DREADED DEADLY EBOLA DISEASE HAS CROSSED FROM GUINEA, TO SIERRA LEONE AND LIBERIA AND FINALLY TO NIGERIA IS NO LONGER NEWS.

REPORTS IN THE MEDIA IS A CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS A  VERY SERIOUS MATTER.

FOLLOWING THIS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA HAS SENT A REQUEST TO THE UNITED STATES TO ASK FOR THE EXPERIMENTED DRUG, ZMAPP, WHICH THE UNITED STATES HAS SAID IT IS NOT POSSIBLE UNTIL 2015.

IT ALL STARTED ONE BEAUTIFUL MORNING ON JULY 20,WHEN A 40 SOMETHING YEAR OLD AMERICAN LIBERIAN KNOWN AS PATRICK SAWYER BOARDED AN ASKY FLIGHT ALL THE WAY FROM LIBERIA TO NIGERIA.

WHAT WAS IT? HE WAS COMING FOR  A CONFERENCE IN CALABAR, CROSS RIVERS STATE.

ON ARRIVAL AT THE LAGOS AIRPORT, HE REPORTEDLY COLLAPSED. ALTHOUGH HE WAS ISOLATED, TESTED AND ADMITTED AS AN EBOLA VIRUS CARRIER AT THE FIRST CONSULTANTS  HOSPITAL IN OBALENDE, ONE OF THE MOST CROWDED PARTS OF LAGOS, HE LATER DIED ON JULY THE 25^TH.

SHORTLY AFTER HIS DEMISE, THE MEDICAL DOCTOR THAT ATTENDED TO HIM WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED WITH EBOLA VIRUS.

AS IF IT WAS NOT ENOUGH, ONE OF THE NURSES WHO TOOK CARE OF HIM, ALSO TOOK ILL AND DIED A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER.

THIS DISCOVERY AND SPREAD OF THE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER HAS SENT SHIVERS DOWN THE SPINE OF THE NIGERIAN POPULACE.

FOLLOWING THIS , VIRTUALLY ALL THE THIRTY SIX STATES OF THE FEDERATION HAVE PUT DIFFERENT MEASURES IN PLACE TO TACKLE ANY EMERGENCY.

THE LATEST IS THE SETTING UP OF ISOLATION CENTRES IN DESIGNATED PLACES.

THIS ENDORSES THE CLICHE WHICH SAYS PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.

RIGHT NOW IT IS NOT ONLY AFRICA THAT IS BATTLING THE DEADLY EBOLA OUTBREAK WHICH HAS KILLED ALMOST 1000 PEOPLE, THE ENTIRE WORLD IS INVOLVED.

COUNTRIES LIKE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SPAIN, SAUDI ARABIA AND CHINA HAVE RECORDED INFECTIONS WITH ONE OR TWO DEATHS BUT THE MOST AFFECTED IS WEST AFRICA.

IT IS PITIABLE TO OBSERVE THAT RIGHT NOW, EBOLA HAS NO VACCINE , NO TREATMENT AND NO CURE.

THIS IS WHY IT SEEMS VERY DIFFICULT TO HANDLE THE SITUATION, MAKING IT LOOK LIKE A RACE AGAINST RATS.

BUT WHILE THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AND OTHER HEALTH PERSONNEL, EXPERTS AND OFFICIALS RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK TO CONTAIN THIS KILLER VIRUS,  HERE IS WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EBOLA.

EBOLA IS A SEVERE VIRUS WITH A FATALITY RATE OF UP TO NINETY PERCENT- RIGHT  NOW IT HAS  NO CURE,NO VACCINE AND NO TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE.

IT WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN SUDAN AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO IN 1976. BUT THE LATEST OUTBREAK OF THE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER REPORTEDLY BEGAN IN THE REMOTE FOREST OF EASTERN GUINEA IN FEBRUARY 2014.

REPORTS ALSO SAY THAT FRUIT BATS, MONKEYS, CHIMPS AND ANTELOPES ARE KNOWN TO BE ITS NATURAL HOSTS.

ITS MODE OF TRANSMISSION OR CONTACT RANGE FROM BLOOD TO BODY FLUIDS LIKE SWEATS, SEMENS, URINE AND TEARS. THIS INVOLVES CONTACT WITH INFECTED ANIMALS, PATIENTS,  EVEN THE DEAD.

HMMN, IT IS SO SCARING TO NOTE THAT THE SYMPTOMS OF EBOLA VIRUS ARE SIMILAR TO THAT OF MALARIA, TYPHOID, CHOLERA AND MENINGITIS.

SINCE THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE SUDDEN FEVER, FEELINGS OF INTENSE WEAKNESS, MUSCLE PAIN, HEADACHE AND SORE THROAT, WHICH IS USUALLY FOLLOWED BY VOMITING, DIARRHOEA, RASHES, IMPAIRED KIDNEY AND LIVER FUNCTION AND IN SOME CASES UNSTOPPABLE BLEEDING.

ACCORDING TO CANBERRA’S SENIOR STAFF SPECIALIST PROFESSOR PETER COLLIGNON, EBOLA IS SPREAD THE SAME WAY HIV AND HEPATITIS IS SPREAD.

RIGHT NOW PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE AND IN THIS CASE IT WOULD CERTAINLY HELP TO TAKE NOTE OF GOOD PREVENTIVE MEASURES THAT WOULD RETARD THE SPREAD OF THE VIRAL DISEASE SINCE NO DRUG OR VACCINE IS AVAILABLE THUS IT IS ADVISABLE TO AVOID TRAVELING TO AREAS WITH KNOWN OUTBREAK OF THE VIRUS.

IT IS ALSO IDEAL TO PRACTICE BASIC HAND HYGIENE, BY WASHING YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY WITH ANTISEPTIC SOAPS AND WATER, INCLUDING SANITIZERS.

IT IS EQUALLY OKAY AND RIGHT TO CUT DOWN ON THE CONSUMPTION OF BUSH MEAT IN FACT SOME PEOPLE HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM SUYA.

AVOIDING CONTACT WITH INFECTED PEOPLE IS A GOOD MEASURE . IT IS ALSO PERTINENT TO BEWARE OF PANIC TEXT MESSAGES, MORE SO AS SOME MISCHIEVOUS PEOPLE HAVE CAPITALIZED ON THE SITUATION TO SEND TERRIBLE PANICKY TEXT AND ONLINE MESSAGES.

IMAGINE THE RIDICULOUS POSTULATION OF DRINKING AND BATHING WITH HOT SALTY WATER!.

LETS JUST BE ON OUR GUARD, ITS HOPEFUL THAT LIKE OTHER TERRIBLE DISEASES, EBOLA WOULD SURELY PASS AWAY LIKE A SMOKE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. GOD BLESS NIGERIA.