Ebola haemorrhagic fever
Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever and one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind. The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Transmission of the Ebola virus has also occurred by handling sick or dead infected wild animals (chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope, fruit bats). The predominant treatment is general supportive therapy.
Ebola — named after a river that runs through the Democratic Republic of Congo — is contracted by humans when they come into contact with animals that also have the virus, according to the Mayo Clinic. But from there, it can also be spread human-to-human when a person comes into contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids, or from needle-sharing. The virus causes a condition called Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
Symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever often include headache, sore throat, diarrhea, fever and even rash and bleeding in some people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These symptoms will usually occur anywhere from five to 10 days after the person has become infected, the Mayo Clinic reported.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Ebola — people who have the condition are usually treated by receiving fluids and having blood replaced if they’ve lost blood, according to the Mayo Clinic and Social mobilization activities are key to control Ebola outbreak.
The Ebola virus was first identified in the western equatorial province of Sudan and in a nearby region of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1976 after significant epidemics in Nzara, South Sudan and Yambuku, northern Zaire.
There are five distinct species of the Ebola virus: Bundibugyo, Côte d’Ivoire, Reston, Sudan and Zaïre. Bundibugyo, Sudan and Zaïre species that have been associated with large outbreaks of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) in Africa causing death in 25-90% of all clinically ill cases, while Côte d’Ivoire and Reston have not.
The Uganda Government approaches to control the spread of Ebola outbreak include the following among others:
- The government has set up a National Task Force with the capacity to manage, plan, deliver, and monitor Ebola control activities
- The Ministry of Health (MoH) working with stakeholders and partners has put in place Ebola control the outbreak response plans at the national and district levels.
- Ebola surveillance plans at district level have been finalised.
- Experts from MoH, WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are always available to support the response operations,
- Supplies and logistics to support management of Ebola patients are in place
- The government approaches to prevent spread of Ebola:
- Establishment of temporary isolation ward for suspected and probably confirmed cases.
- Rapid response to Ebola outbreak
- Training medical personnel in handling the Ebola outbreak.
- The MoH advice to the public to take measures to avert the spread of the disease and to report any suspected patient to the nearest health unit.
If you want reliable information on Ebola outbreak please contact MoH and WHO.