Fever, headaches, muscle pains, weakness, other constitutional symptoms, vomiting, diarrhoea...in ealier stages. Bullae, patechiae, haemorrhage into mucosal surfaces in later stages....also typified by liver failure, cardio-respiratory failure and renal failure. Dehydration in spite of oedema.
Patient still infectious through semen and vaginal fluids up to 3 months after being clinically certified well and virus negative in other body fluids like blood, sweat, saliva, urine and vomitus.
Virus fragile and easily killed by soap, detergent, heat, and sunlight.Meat if well cooked is not infective whatever the source.
Fruits bats are its natural reservoirs....for they do not fall ill after infection. Monkeys are its secondary hosts. Other primates susceptible including humans. Transmission is from monkey-to-man, other primates-to-man, bats-to-man or man-to-man. Most human victims are health workers and their family and relations. Kills up to 80% of its victims if they do not recover spontaneously. Death may occur in less than 2 to 3 weeks. No specific cure or vaccines. Deficiency not just of fluids but electrolytes. Low platelet levels.....thrombocytopaenia , Low plasmsa protein levels....hypoalbuminaemia, hypoglobulinaemia. Lab for plasma proteins, urea, electrolytes & creatinine.
Others full blood count....incl Hb, WBC-T&D, platelets count, Liver fn tests...SGOT, SGPT, GGT, Alk phphatase etc, ECG monitoring etc. Full complement of ICU mx incl oxygen, monitoring of bld gases.
Contact prevention....shoe covers, gloves, goggles, cap or hood....in case of splashes of body fluids. Droplet prevention.....against body fluids of patient....mask not to inhale aerosolized body fluids. Replace lost fluids and electrolytes. Replace platelets. Replace plasma proteins. Treatment mainly supportive by methods mentioned above and ICU care. Patient infectious only if clinically ill.
You can read more here on; http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ebola-doctor-reveals-how-infected-americans-were-cured. Dr Tosin Akindele is a Lagos-based medical practitioner, founder of Analytical Minds, good health advocate and social critic.
Educating and the tension-relieving. The health ministry needs to make this info get to the masses who live with so much misinformation about the Ebola virus epidemic so that the right preventive as well as precautionary measures can be taken
ReplyDeleteRevealing and concise. The health ministry should endeavor to disseminate this info especially to the average masses living with so much misinformation about this health menace.
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