What is the Ebola virus?

What is the Ebola virus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Ebola is a severe, often fatal disease in humans, with an average fatality rate of 50%.

Ebola was first identified in rural areas of central Africa, but the recent outbreak in West Africa has affected both rural and urban areas.

Early care for a sufferer including rehydration has been shown to help survival rates, but as yet there are no no licensed vaccines. various therapies are under development to assist sufferers.

The WHO says that good outbreak control requires good surveillance and tracking, safe burials and social mobilisation.

Now some good news ....  the virus is only passed on through direct contact with an infected person's blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids including saliva, and through contact with surfaces contaminated with these fluids.

The incubation period for the virus is between 2 and 21 days, and humans are not infectious until the first symptoms appear.

First symptoms are the sudden onset of rapid fever fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.  This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and rash.

Exercising common sense, good hygiene procedures, separating the sick from the healthy and the prompt and safe burial of the dead will all help to ensure that the outbreak is contained and eliminated.

WHO/N. Alexander

Ebola screening starting at airports

Good news that some airports are now to adopt border checks to try and prevent the spread of the Ebola virus. Border staff are being asked to look for the signs of infection including carrying a high temperature.

While we assume that no one would wish to travel who believed that they were suffering from Ebola, the fact that someone can be carrying the virus for up to 3 weeks before showing symptoms may need that the checks may be more for the sake of showing that something is being done, rather than in the scientific belied that they will be effective.

Passengers originating from the three African nations worst affected, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, will be asked about their travel history on arrival - passengers from these countries are already being screened for symptoms before they leave.

For all our sakes, let's hope that these measures are effective.