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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : September 9, 2014 5:03 PM IST
Saudi Arabia will establish a 50-bed exclusive isolation ward at Arafat Hospital in Mecca during the Haj pilgrimage as a preventive measure against the Ebola virus and other communicable diseases, Arab News reported Tuesday. Deputy Health Minister for Planning and Development Mohammed Al-Khasheem said that over 22,000 medics will be deployed at the holy sites and in Mecca during the busy season, who are trained in accordance with international standards to fight Ebola.
'The health ministry is examining pilgrims coming from abroad at 16 entry points across the kingdom and at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah,' Al-Khasheem said. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia Monday received the first group of 543 Nigerian pilgrims with tight health procedures to ensure that they are free from the Ebola virus disease before entering the country as part of a special campaign for pilgrims coming from West Africa.
The health ministry is following the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on possible symptoms among pilgrims coming from Nigeria and other African nations, he said. Other measures include establishing a scientific advisory board, issuing firm guidelines to contain the dangers of infections spreading, allocating a number of hospitals to deal with infected cases and providing scientific guidelines on how to deal with suspected cases.
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.
Here's are some interesting facts about the Ebola virus that make it so deadly.
t can kill within seven days: Unlike other viruses (like HIV) that can remain dormant in a person for years without causing the disease, Ebola violently multiplies until the viral particles are amplified to about 100 million viral particles in a droplet of blood. Further, without resting in a dormant stage the virus kills the host to find a new one. The fatality rate of the disease is 60 percent.
There is no vaccine or treatment available: What makes this virus deadly is the fact that researchers have not been able to find an effective treatment or preventive technique to combat the virus and the spread of the disease. The experimental drug Zmapp has shown promising results but the safety and efficacy of the drug are to be evaluated. So, as of now, neither do we have an effective form of therapy nor do we have a vaccine to prevent the disease.
Attacks every part of the human body: Ebola only needs a host cell that can help it produce multiple copies of itself. What worsens the condition is the fact that the virus does not need a specific type of cell to multiply (unlike other deadly diseases). According to studies, except for skeletal muscles and bones, the virus is known to infect every part of the human body. Connective tissues, the ones that hold your internal organs in place, are primary targets of the virus. Read more about 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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