Federal Government don confirm one case of Ebola disease for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and don begin to trace people wey fit don come in contact with the person wey get the disease to stop am from spreading.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, disclose this one on Tuesday after laboratory test confirm say one woman wey recently enter Nigeria from Uganda through international flight get Ebola.
Dem admit the woman to one private hospital for Abuja, where she receive treatment for some days before dem confirm say na Ebola she get.
According to Federal Government, the woman dey inside isolation and dey receive treatment.
Government talk say dem don identify 44 people wey fit don come in contact with her. The people include health workers, patients, people wey dey care for patients and people wey travel with her.
Health workers don begin to look for other people wey fit don come in contact with the woman and monitor their health to know whether dem show any sign of the disease
Government don also increase the way dem dey watch out for the disease and warn public and private hospitals to dey alert, quickly identify and separate anybody wey dem suspect say get Ebola, follow rules to prevent infection and report any suspected case to health authorities.
Pate also beg anybody wey health officials contact, including passengers wey fit don travel with the woman, to cooperate with the people wey dey trace contacts.
Government advise Nigerians to no panic, to dey wash their hands regularly and to avoid touching the blood or other body fluids of anybody wey dem suspect say get Ebola.
Because government don confirm one case for Abuja, PUNCH Online look again at the World Health Organisation (WHO) advice about Ebola to explain how the disease dey spread and wetin Nigerians fit do to protect themselves.
How Ebola dey spread
According to WHO, person fit catch Ebola if the blood or other body fluids of somebody wey get the disease enter through broken skin or openings for the body, like the eyes, nose or mouth. Person fit also catch am through direct contact with the body of somebody wey don die from Ebola.
The disease fit also spread through things and surfaces wey blood, shit, vomit or other body fluids from an infected person don dirty.
WHO explain say person wey get Ebola no fit spread am before symptoms start to show. But once symptoms begin, the person fit continue to spread the virus as long as e still dey inside the blood.
Person fit also catch Ebola through contact with infected animals, including fruit bats and some wild animals, especially when people touch or chop meat from infected animals.
WHO advise people to avoid touching sick or dead wild animals and make dem no chop their raw meat.
Wetin Nigerians suppose do to protect themselves
WHO advise people to avoid close body contact with anybody wey dem suspect or confirm say get Ebola, especially contact with the person’s blood or other body fluids.
Anybody wey dem suspect say get Ebola, and anybody wey dem confirm say get am, suppose stay for special treatment centre where health workers fit treat dem and follow rules to stop the disease from spreading.
Nigerians suppose dey wash their hands well and keep their surroundings clean.
Health workers must wear the correct protective clothing and equipment and follow rules wey go prevent infection when dem dey care for anybody wey dem suspect or confirm say get Ebola. This one important especially when dem fit come in contact with blood, body fluids or things wey don carry the virus.
WHO also advise communities to make sure say dem bury people wey die from Ebola in a safe and respectful way. Funeral practices wey involve touching the body of somebody wey die from Ebola fit expose other people to the virus
Know the signs and go hospital early
According to WHO, signs of Ebola fit begin to show between two and 21 days after person catch the virus.
The early signs fit include high body temperature, tiredness, body pain, headache and sore throat.
As the disease dey progress, person fit begin vomit, purge, feel stomach pain and develop other serious health problems.
But WHO warn say e fit hard to know whether na Ebola person get by looking at the signs alone, because some other sicknesses, including malaria and typhoid, fit cause similar symptoms.
Anybody wey begin show these signs after e don come in contact with person wey fit get Ebola suppose go hospital urgently and tell the health workers about the contact.
Make nobody try to test or treat suspected Ebola for house. Na trained health workers suppose assess the person and provide the correct care.
