This "thing" called EBOLA!

This is scary but so real! An Infected Patient

The first time I heard of the disease EBOLA was around April this year, though I was keen on knowing more about it moreso that the name almost sounded like "BOLI" - roasted plantain. Or more closely to "BOLA" - actually a name beared by people from the western part of Nigeria. But then I soon forgot about it... You know how we tend to forget things especially when we are not or least affected by them.


However, the shocking new came glaring when some days ago, the news about its arrival in Nigeria spread like wildfire. Now, I caught the fire as well and couldn't help but share and enlighten people about this deadly strange disease.

 The Ebola virus was fast associated with an outbreak of 318 cases of hemorrhagic disease in Zaire of the 318cases, 280 of them died  -and died quickly. That same year 1976, 284 people in Sudan became infected with the virus and 156 died.
The virus was named after the Ebola river in the Congo. The virus has occurred in Congo, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Uganda.

Ebola spreads through the blood, multiply in many organs. It causes severe damage to the liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, ovaries and testes.

Platelets and lining of arteries are severely damaged which results to profuse bleeding. Mucosal surfaces of the stomach, heart membrane and vagina are also affected. Internal bleeding result in shock and acute respiratory distress, leading to death.

 Once a patient is infected, the incubation period is 4 to 16days. The onset if the disease is sudden with the following symptoms:

* Fever, Headaches, Anorexia, Muscle Pains.

As the disease progress;

* Nausea, Vomiting, Sore throat, Stomach pain and diarrhea are common.
 Most patients develop severe bleeding between days 5 and 7 which gradually but speedily leads to death between days 7 and 16 days.

 Unlike most other infection agents, there is a significant risk to health care workers and lab technicians in handling and processing blood or tissue samples infected with Ebola.

To keep safe;

* Avoid contact with an infected person.

* Always wash your hands with soap or better still carry a sanitizer around. It doesn't cost so much.

* Avoid blood, bodily fluid of infected persons or dead beings or things.

* Becareful with those "bush meat" and "suya". If you are a fan of suya like myself you had better keep away from it...too bad for the suya guys though.

* Avoid an unventilated environment and too close body contact. Remeber, even the body fluid poses a great danger if the person is infected. You never can tell...(May God help us!)

People don't carry the virus, they get sick and theit infected blood and bodily fluid infect others.