Ebola situation not out of control: WHO official

A senior World Health Organisation official said in Sierra Leone Friday that the Ebola situation is not out of control. Assistant Director-General for Health Security in the World Health Organisation Keiji Fukunda who visited the epic areas Kailahun and Kenema, Sierra Leone said, 'I do believe however that the situation is urgent and serious. 'I believe that the right steps have been implemented. It's a matter of more persistence and more work to get a turn around.' He described Ebola as 'a subregional issue and working with counterparts is very important'. The country's health ministry in its latest report confirmed 305 infections and 92 deaths, and said 39 people have been discharged. (Read: Ebola bug's secret mechanism revealed)

What is Ebola virus?

The Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe condition caused by a virus from the Filoviridae family. Known to be a condition that is transmitted from animals to humans, this virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.

How is it transmitted? What are its causes?

According to scientists there are five different types of the virus, all of which have the potential to infect humans. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) this disease can be transmitted from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In humans the disease can be transmitted by the following methods:

• Coming into contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of an infected person.
• Healthcare workers may contract the disease through transmission as well through contact with infected bodily fluids.
• Handling the meat from infected animals.
• Contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who has passed away.

Who is most likely to get infected?

Dr Ratan Kumar Vaish, Senior Consultant, Department of Internal medicine, Rockland Group of Hospitals, Delhi-NCR says, 'The condition is contagious, so migratory populations are most likely to get infected and transmit the virus. Interestingly, this condition is also a hospital acquired infection and is commonly transmitted to hospital staff. Apart from that, high risk individuals include diabetics, immunocompromised patients, patients with kidney and liver failure and HIV infected people.'

What are the symptoms?

The incubation period (or the time between when the actual infection takes place to the time when a person sees symptoms of this condition) for this disease is about one week. After this period a person will commonly see the signs that are considered as 'early symptoms'. According to Dr Ratan,the early symptoms include fever, rashes, headache, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Apart from that a person may also experience symptoms like pain in the lower back, arthritis like pain all over the body, diarrhea and a sore throat.

Once the condition has progressed a person may notice symptoms like:

• Bleeding from the mouth, ears, nose and ears.
• Increased sensitivity to pain on the skin,
• Genital swelling
• Conjunctivitis
• Rashes all over the body,
• And reddening of the roof of the mouth.

How is it diagnosed?

Usually a doctor will be able to diagnose the condition with the symptoms alone, but in order to confirm the diagnosis he/she may prescribe tests like CBC (Complete Blood Count), coagulation studies (a test to check for the amount of time a person's blood needs to clot), viral antigen testing (a test to check for the presence of the viral antigen) and a liver function test. Read more about Ebola virus causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention

With inputs from IANS

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