The outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where more than 100 people reportedly died from the infection should be a warning signal for the government of Nigeria. Because of the proximity of these countries to Nigeria and trade across borders, we need to take precautions. Ebola virus (EBOV) is the most dangerous virus of the Ebolavirus genus, which causes the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, an extreme disease in humans and other primates. Unlike Lassa fever, another deadly infection that is spread by a special type of rat, bats are responsible for Ebola virus. Infection can also be caused by eating fruits that have been contaminated with the virus by bats.
Some medical experts have also affirmed that Ebola can result from sexual intercourse with an infected person or through any transfer of bodily liquid such as saliva, blood contact or blood transfusion. Indeed a mere contact with an infected person, even a corpse, they say can lead to the contracting of the dreaded disease, which currently has no vaccine and treatment.
The tragedy of the Ebola virus is that it kills suddenly. The symptom of Ebola ailment may not be different from symptoms of other types of fever, and if the patient fails to see the doctor immediately, he or she will die instantly. Medical authorities are now reviewing the advert and jingle that say “if feverish symptom persists after three days see your doctor”, because in the case of Ebola the patient will die before the third day.
Until this year, Ebola virus had been seen as a disease of the Central Africa sub region. The name Ebola virus was first coined in 1976 and it is derived from the Ebola River (a river that was first thought to be in close proximity to the area in the D.R. Congo), previously called Zaire, where the first recorded Ebola virus outbreak occurred in 1976.
From 1976 to date, there have been about 22 outbreaks of Ebola virus, with 14 in the D.R. Congo, six in Gabon, one each in Uganda, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. There have also been laboratory accidents in Sergiver Posad in 1996 and Koltsova in 2004, both in Russia, where one person each was infected and died. There was also a laboratory accident in 1988 in Porton Down,United Kingdom, where one person was infected but managed to survive.
Between D.R. Congo, Gabon and Uganda, all in the central region of Africa, about 1,487 people were infected with the virus, out of which 1,130 died, while the official figure shows that the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa resulted in 122 infections and 78 deaths, which is 64 per cent fatality rate.
The latest occurrence of the virus has thrown a challenge to medical experts and the governments of West African states. Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, acknowledged the threat posed by the Ebola virus and why Nigeria should be worried. He agreed that Nigeria had not reported any case of the disease but hinted that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) would soon produce jingles in various languages to be aired on radio and television, stations and newspapers to sensitise Nigerians of the threat posed by the deadly virus.
He promised that his ministry would work with all groups, such as religious bodies, communities, traditional rulers and the media to create awareness about the disease. He warned Nigerians not to wait for the customary three days before seeking medical attention if they notice any feverish feeling.
The fear of Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and other West Africa countries is hinged on the war in the Central Africa Republic, which has led many people to migrate to Cameroon and Chad, both of which border Nigeria in the East and North East.
Nigerians are advised to constantly wash their hands after each activity, wash all fruits before eating them and stop eating fruits that have been partly eaten by bats. Other precautions include keeping personal hygiene as well as seeing the doctor immediately one is feverish.
We urge the federal government to secure our airports, seaports and land borders by having proper medical check and regulation on people coming into the country. The ministry of health should also mount campaigns that will educate hunters and people generally on the need to avoid selling meat of animals whose source of injuries or deaths are not known.
