Ebola in US: Health workers going to West Africa should not be discouraged, urges Obama

US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that returning healthcare workers should only be monitored 'in a prudent fashion' and not be discouraged from going to West Africa to help curb Ebola outbreaks

By: Editorial Team | | Published: October 29, 2014 4:32 pm

US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that returning healthcare workers should only be monitored ‘in a prudent fashion’ and not be discouraged from going to West Africa to help curb Ebola outbreaks. ‘We got to make sure that those workers who are willing and able and dedicated to go over there in a really tough job, that they’re applauded, thanked and supported. That should be our priority,’ Xinhua quoted Obama as saying. (Read: 7 tips to prevent the spread of Ebola)

‘We don’t want to discourage our health care workers from going to the front lines and dealing with this in an effective way,’ the US president added. Obama made the remarks after mandatory quarantine policies for healthcare workers put in place by New York, New Jersey and other US states drew criticism from medical experts. Obama said the US should react based on science and best practices rather than fears. (Read: Quarantine for Ebola — what is it?)

How the Ebola virus spreads in humans?

It spreads through infected body fluids: Ebola spreads from one infected person to the other through direct contact of the skin and other bodily fluids. The virus is present in the body fluids of an infected person which includes blood, semen, sweat, urine, saliva, feaces, vomit, etc. If a healthy person comes in contact with the infected body fluids that enters his system through open wounds, blood transfusions or through the eyes, ears, mouth, nostrils, genital area, it can infect an individual within a span of two to 21 days depending on the severity of the viral attack. Having unsafe sex with an infected person also can lead to the viral infection.

It can spread through direct skin to skin contact: One major reason why healthcare workers and immediate family members of infected Ebola victims were falling prey to the same in the infected areas is due to direct skin to skin contact with the patients. This is because the virus can be easily transmitted through an exchange of bodily fluids like sweat, saliva, etc. However, remember the virus would not spread only through casual contact. There has to be a medium for the transmission to take place and in case of a skin-to-skin contact it is either sweat, saliva, blood or other body fluids. It is advisable to take proper precautions if you need to be around a victim at any given point of time. Using protective equipment like gloves, masks and protective units is recommended to prevent the virus from spreading to a healthy individual. Read more about How the Ebola virus spreads in humans

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

Published : October 29, 2014 4:32 pm

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