TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID CONTRACTING THE EBOLA VIRUS

By Oche Otorkpa  

Here are a few tips to help every Nigerians protect themselves from the Ebola disease:

1.        Avoid bush meat or any meat you are not sure of its source.

2.       Wash your hands frequently with detergent, soap using clean water.

3.      Avoid trips to Ebola endemic countries (DRC ,UGANDA , CONGO, GABON DRC etc)

4.      Get a hand sanitizer for people to use in your office and educate them on the importance of the sanitizers, Get one for your kids to use in school frequently and if possible for their class.

5.      3. Avoid buying food stuffs, clothing or other personal materials from markets/shops that share the same vicinity with live or roasted bush meat dealer’s or sellers

6.      Be careful with hands when using railings on the stairs, door knobs and other utilities used by the public.

7.      Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues

8.       Watch out for people with flu-like symptoms such as sudden fever

9.       Avoid Pig farms, Pig farms in Africa play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on these farms.

10.   Avoid bat meats and bat products

FOR HEALTH WORKERS

WHO states as follows,

Standard precautions are recommended in the care and treatment of all patients regardless of their perceived or confirmed infectious status. They include the basic level of infection control—hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment to avoid direct contact with blood and body fluids, prevention of needle stick and injuries from other sharp instruments, and a set of environmental controls.

EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of

1.Fever  
2.Intense weakness
3.Muscle pain,
4.Headache and sore throat.
5.Followed by vomiting, Diarrhea, Rash, Impaired kidney and Liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding


Oche Otorkpa is a WHO Trained IDSR Specialist