No Cure for Ebola Virus, Lagos Warns, Cautions Residents on Safety Measures

.The Lagos State Government has called on residents to maintain high level of hygiene following the outbreak of Ebola Virus in the West African nations of Liberia and Guinea, noting that there is currently no cure for the virus which has killed over 1500 people since it was first recorded in 1976.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who made the call said the measures include washing of hands often with soap and water, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and ensuring that objects used by the sick are decontaminated and properly disposed in order to reduce the risk of infection, the commissioner said.

He advised health workers to be at alert, wear personal protective equipment and observe universal basic precautions when attending to suspected or confirmed cases, and report same to the nearest Local government Area or Ministry of Health.
Idris explained that the cause of the disease is not completely known but that fruit bats have been considered as natural host of the virus

“Ebola virus can be spread through, close contact with the blood, body fluids, organ and tissues of infected animals; direct contact with blood, organ or body secretions of an infected person. The transmission of the virus by other animals like monkey and chimpanzee cannot be ruled out”, he said.

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He said that those infected would usually bleed from body openings like the mouth, nose, rectum and ear adding that “early symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, chills, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, backache, and joint pains.

“ Later symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, bleeding from the mouth and rectum, eye swelling, swelling of the genitals and rashes all over the body that often contain blood. It could progress to coma, shock and death”, Idris explained.