Important Information Regarding Ebola Protection
By Christa Jarvis
There is no doubt that the Ebola outbreak has created a lot of fear all over the world. The main driving force behind this fear is the fact the virus spreads very first and seems unstoppable once it starts taking down a population. Is there any way to protect ourselves against the disease? Unfortunately, there is no vaccine that has been approved as yet. The only proven way of Ebola protection is to avoid getting into contact with the virus.
Personal protective equipment can be obtained from hospitals and public health departments. Proper training is required for one to properly use the equipment. The main components include a full body gown together with protective eye wear, a face mask, medical gloves and a shield. When handling infected sharps, ensure that you wear two pairs of gloves.
If you come into contact with a person suspected to be infected, wash your hands with soap and lots of water or a hand sanitizer. Hand washing has been shown to greatly reduce the transmission risk but does not entirely eliminate this risk. Items that have been used by infected persons should be avoided at all costs. The rooms that they have used should be hosed down before they can be reused.
If you have items that need to be re-used then proper disinfection and sterilization are necessary. Chlorine bleach is effective for needles and other sharps. The sharps should be soaked for at least thirty seconds in the bleach. Bleach solution is also effective in cleaning surfaces and equipment. The process should be repeated at least twice. Heat resilient items can be sterilized by boiling for about twenty minutes.
When a person dies from Ebola, the virus does not die with them. As a matter of fact, this is the time during which the virus numbers are highest and transmission is most likely to take place. There should be no direct contact with the body under any circumstances. You need to inform you local public health officials who will make arrangements to dispose of it.
Apart from human beings, the virus has been shown to also infect bats and non-human primates. Scientists strongly believe that the first case of this illness originated from these hosts. Body fluids from these hosts should also be avoided. Meat derived from infected animals particularly if raw is highly infective and should never be consumed.
If you have traveled to an endemic area recently, you need to conduct self monitoring as you look out for symptoms suggestive of the disease. A fever is almost always present in people that have been infected. It may or may not be associated with other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle pains or a headache. It is important that you go to the hospital as soon as possible if you experience these symptoms.
Controlling the Ebola outbreak requires a well coordinated disease surveillance system. Such a system helps in early disease detection and prompt intervention to interfere with the transmission. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis should be treated in isolation. Only persons that are properly trained should attend to the patients.
Personal protective equipment can be obtained from hospitals and public health departments. Proper training is required for one to properly use the equipment. The main components include a full body gown together with protective eye wear, a face mask, medical gloves and a shield. When handling infected sharps, ensure that you wear two pairs of gloves.
If you come into contact with a person suspected to be infected, wash your hands with soap and lots of water or a hand sanitizer. Hand washing has been shown to greatly reduce the transmission risk but does not entirely eliminate this risk. Items that have been used by infected persons should be avoided at all costs. The rooms that they have used should be hosed down before they can be reused.
If you have items that need to be re-used then proper disinfection and sterilization are necessary. Chlorine bleach is effective for needles and other sharps. The sharps should be soaked for at least thirty seconds in the bleach. Bleach solution is also effective in cleaning surfaces and equipment. The process should be repeated at least twice. Heat resilient items can be sterilized by boiling for about twenty minutes.
When a person dies from Ebola, the virus does not die with them. As a matter of fact, this is the time during which the virus numbers are highest and transmission is most likely to take place. There should be no direct contact with the body under any circumstances. You need to inform you local public health officials who will make arrangements to dispose of it.
Apart from human beings, the virus has been shown to also infect bats and non-human primates. Scientists strongly believe that the first case of this illness originated from these hosts. Body fluids from these hosts should also be avoided. Meat derived from infected animals particularly if raw is highly infective and should never be consumed.
If you have traveled to an endemic area recently, you need to conduct self monitoring as you look out for symptoms suggestive of the disease. A fever is almost always present in people that have been infected. It may or may not be associated with other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle pains or a headache. It is important that you go to the hospital as soon as possible if you experience these symptoms.
Controlling the Ebola outbreak requires a well coordinated disease surveillance system. Such a system helps in early disease detection and prompt intervention to interfere with the transmission. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis should be treated in isolation. Only persons that are properly trained should attend to the patients.