Ebola in Nigeria - All you need to know about the Deadliest Disease in the World.

by Paul Washington Uduk

In what seemed like a perfect evening, an outbreak would turn the dreams I had into nightmares. The phone beeped, signaling a call. I answered. Thomas was at the other end of the call. He had heard of the recent Ebola Virus outbreak reaching Nigeria and he needed to clear his head with trustworthy answers

“But, I’m not a doctor” I said.

He sneezed twice. The weariness I perceived in his voice heightened.

“I know, I just need to know what you know” he managed to say. His voice sounding like he had plugs in his nostrils.

He sneezed twice again. This time, accompanied by a heavy prolonged snort.

I know what he feared. I feared it too.

He had been at the airport the day the virus had arrived Lagos taking a full grown man as its transportation vessel.

The man by the name of Patrick Sawyer died five days after he had arrived Lagos and Thomas feared the same fate awaited him.

 “Thomas, you need to relax. I’m sure you didn’t come in contact with Patrick or did you?”

“No. I didn’t. I didn’t even see him”

“So, what are you so afraid of? What’s the worst that could happen to you?” There was a brief silence and then he began,

“I wake up tomorrow in a hospital, sick and dying. All that runs through my mind while I lay on the bed is the thought that I’ll be gone in less than three weeks. I’m alone. The world has shut me off because of what is growing inside of me.

I’m really scared because I know my fate is sealed.

Of course, the mental agony isn’t enough. The disease has me bleeding through my eyes, gums and rectum. And, I heard a doctor standing outside my ward say my internal organs is suffering the same fate; bleeding, swelling and ultimately failing. But, do you know what saddens me most?

My wife is hospitalized, my toddler daughter is gone, my name is plastered all over the news and the little voice inside my head repeats words, loudly proclaiming it’s all my fault; I brought it to our home.

And, the worst part?

Two days before I kick the bucket. A cure is found!

It is administered on me and it works miraculously.

But, my wife and daughter are not so lucky. The disease had taken them.

The world celebrates the cure and nobody notices that they are gone. I’ve been left alone again. This time to mourn the loss the only loved ones I had whose lives I took"

The coming silence was loud. So loud I wish I didn’t have to ask what the worst could be. I never imagined that he would be so detailed. My eyes were wet with tears that hung onto them like jewelry, slowly evaporating and adding to the chills I felt.

“Okay, let me tell you what I know".

Ebola disease dates back to 1976. That’s when the first recorded incident occurred. Two outbreaks had happened simultaneously in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The name originates from Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yambuku is a village situated close to the Ebola River.

Strains discovered in these countries; Sudan and Zaire (Former name for Democratic Republic of the Congo) were recorded to have the highest mortality rate of any known virus; as high as 90%. That means that if you caught the disease you had a 10% chance of living.

Scientific efforts led to the successful containment of this virus and since then 5 strains of the virus have been identified.

Mode of Transmission: The natural host of the Ebola virus is considered to be Fruits Bats of the Pteropodidae family. Natural host means that these bats carry the virus without being affected by it. Just like mosquitoes carry plasmodium of malaria.

Transmission to a human occurs when contact is made by the human with the organs or bodily fluids (blood, secretion, saliva, semen) of an infected animal such as fruit bat, monkey, gorillas, chimpanzees, forest antelopes, porcupines, generally bush-meat found ill or dead in the forest.

Human to human transmission is very possible. Luckily, the disease is not air borne, infection results through direct contact through broken skin or mucous membrane with the body secretion or organs of infected persons. It can also be transmitted by touching the body of a deceased person who died from the virus.

Even, men that have recovered from the illness can still infect people for up to seven (7) weeks.

After a short period the coughs may become bloody; diarrhea stool is accompanied by blood. This progresses to bleeding from various parts of the body such as eyes, gum, rectum etc. If left untreated, the systemic disease results in death from failure of various internal organs such as the liver, kidney etc.

The best way to prevent catching this disease is to practice excellent hygiene and sanitation.

• Treat your wounds properly and keep them covered.

• Wash your hands regularly and as frequently as you can. Keep them away from your nose and eyes.

• Use a handkerchief or any available cloth to cover your mouth when sneezing, coughing or yawning.

• There is a WHO standard for handling and burying those dead from Ebola. Adhere to the standards

• Stay away from bush meat. Even though the heating from cooking the meat would kill the virus, the meat most be washed first and that can bring about infection.

• There is little information as to whether using a condom will prevent the virus from being transferred through semen upon sexual intercourse.Though reports say it is unlikely, Liberia men who recovered from the disease were given 3 month supply of condoms.

• If you suspect you or someone you know has the disease. Don’t walk, run to the nearest hospital and get yourself tested. Or go to www.ebolaalert.org. You can alternatively call 0800eboolahelp (Its Toll Free). Chances are that with proper treatment, your body can fight off the disease and you would recover from it.

• Most of all, eradicate fear.

Vaccination and Cure: No licensed drug that cures the disease exists as I am currently telling you this. And, no licensed vaccine is available. But, I read somewhere that there are vaccines. Testing of this vaccines on humans may happen in this coming September. It worked on chimpanzees and other primates; hopefully it will work on humans.

An experimental serum (Zmapp) was used on Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. The two americans who were transported back to the U.S for treatment after contacting the disease while tending to ebola victims in Africa. They are slowly recovering from the disease.

Patrick Sawyer brought the disease to Nigeria from Liberia. Thank God he had symptoms at the airport. Else, we would be telling a different, perhaps more calamitous story. He was confirmed to be carrying the virus on 20th of July and died five days later. Ten people or more had come in direct contact with him. Most of whom are being held and kept under observation and isolation.

As many as 77 people are said to have had indirect contact with Patrick Sawyer's Ebola disease. These people are being observed for any signs of EVD (Ebola Virus Disease)

There have been whispers spreading like a wild fire. Consuming the ignorant and educated alike.  I'll attempt to offer some clarification.

• Table Salt: An Igala King who supposedly has mystical powers told his people in Kogi, Nigeria to have a soapless bath with water in which a pinch of salt was dropped. He claimed that that would prevent them from contracting the disease.

• Bitter Kola and Walnuts: News sufficed that eating bitter kola would help prevent people from catching the disease. The message got twisted in transmission. Professor Maurice Iwu had a thesis in his article that proved that bitter kola extracts could kill the virus. What the rumor mongers left out was the fact that the experiment didn't involve animals or humans but laborotory test tubes. And, according to Professor Maurice Iwu  the research does not have a logical conclusion.

A telephone conference was held today (Monday, 11th August 2014) to discuss whether the Zmapp be made available to patients with the disease.

There are documented cases from Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo of an Ebola Outbreak in a village that had the custom of children never touching ill adults. Children living for days in small one room huts with parents who died from Ebola did not become infected.

You cannot contract Ebola by handling money, buying local bread or swimming in a pool.

50 health experts from the U.S are being deployed to Africa to help in containing the disease

A Spanish priest who contracted the disease in Liberia is being treated with Zmapp. Hopefully, something will turn up for Nigeria.

That's all I know for now. I'll keep you updated if something substantial comes up. Worry will do you little good. And, you have to dispel every fear you have"

"Thanks, It’s nice to know it’s not air borne, our own for Nigeria for done finish. I'll be sure to keep those around me informed so that we can fight the worst virus of them all; fear."
"Thomas, I'm just glad to be able to help. If you have any information about the disease, be kind enough to share"