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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 21, 2014 8:07 PM IST
Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has issued instructions to the authorities to take precautionary measures against the Ebola virus disease, officials said Tuesday. The country's National Health Services had earlier warned that the Ebola virus might come to Pakistan due to the frequent movement of people to African countries in connection with trade and transit. (Read: 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans)
International health officials have also shown similar concerns and called for measures to stop the arrival of Ebola virus in Pakistan. The Pakistani president has written to provincial governments against the spread of Ebola disease, the National Assembly was informed on Tuesday, Xinhua reported. Screening counters have been established at international airports to check passengers, Parliamentary Secretary Raja Javed Ekhlas said. 'The President has written letters to provincial governments and northern areas of Gilgit Baltistan urging them to take preventive measures against spread of Ebola disease,' he said.
Some MPs had raised the issue to inquire about the measures the government has taken to deal with the deadly disease. The National Assembly was told that screening counters have been established at international airports to check passengers especially those from Ebola affected states. The parliamentary secretary said an awareness and training programme is also being drawn up. 'The government, in collaboration with the provincial departments concerned, USAID and Unicef, is taking steps to meet the challenge,' he added.In an earlier advisory, the Pakistani health officials said that in the recent past, West Africa (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) had experienced the outbreak of the disease, killing hundreds of people. (Read: Ebola facts frequently asked questions (FAQ))
Ebola is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver functioning. In some cases, both internal and external bleeding also starts. Vice Chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, Javed Akram, said the virus is not endemic in Pakistan so people coming from West Africa should be screened at airports. He said Ebola was a viral disease and the virus spreads through close contact, sexual transmission, through saliva and blood transfusion. 'Ebola and HIV have lots of similarities but the former is more dangerous. The incubation period of HIV is almost 10 years whereas Ebola develops into a full blown disease in just a week and attacks the nervous system. The disease is endemic in West Africa,' he told media earlier. (Read: 8 tips to prevent Ebola infection)
What is the Ebola incubation period?
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious clinical condition caused by a virus. Also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the virus spreads through close contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Ebola is considered to be a clinical emergency all over the world and hence it is important to be aware of its symptoms and incubation period to prevent health issues.
The incubation period of the Ebola virus is 2 21 days which means that a person infected with the virus takes around 2 to 21 days to show symptoms of this disease. Although in most cases the symptoms appeared after 8-10 days after being infected with the virus. It is in this period of incubation that the virus attacks the immune system. Read more about What is the Ebola incubation period?
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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