Somalia: Ebola Disease Could be There

Ebola is a very infectious disease. It is a very dangerous disease. The microscopic Ebola virus has killed thousands so far and analysts say it is a time bomb, an epidemic capable of killing millions worldwide if not combated effectively, and unfortunately, this is a pathogen we know little about.

Somalia, like the rest of Africa, doesn't have strong healthy systems that can deal with the Ebola epidemic. Somalia doesn't have the hygienic environment either that can minimize the spread of the disease. Somalia lacks the resources to deal with potential emergency situations in which the disease has become like a wild fire in dry forests.

Because of longstanding factors such as civil war menaces in Somalia, the Ebola disease can feed on porous borders and weak infrastructures for the detection of the disease: no coordination of information on the possible spread of the disease in Somalia, because Somalia is divided into local administrations that are not administered by one authority or by the Somali federal government alone, while people and goods move freely from point A to point B, domestically and outside the country. Somalia is an open door to its neighbors and beyond. Everyone can enter and exit Somalia without the hustle and bustle of saying who they are. In plain English, the Ebola disease victims are not easily detectable or are misdiagnosed to some degree. Even if an Ebola potential victim is instructed to follow certain measures by the medical people because the victim is suspected to be carrying the disease, the victim always doesn't like the idea of being Ebola patient because the victims doesn't want to be quarantined or doesn't believe the healthy personnel could save them. The victim prefers to save his or her life by all means, especially through unconventional means and the victim is always eager to be cut loose into the public but that is unwise because if he or she is suffering the disease and freed into the public, the victim can spread the disease even faster with unimaginable magnitude.

The bulk of the African peacekeepers in Somalia (AMISOM) is from the Western African countries rocked by the Ebola disease. If Somalia's federal government doesn't take effective measures to make sure the disease is not spread through the movements of the peacekeepers, then the deadly Ebola virus might fly with the peacekeepers into Somalia as those peacekeepers routinely replace each other.

Nice points on Ebola by news9.com

How do I protect myself from Ebola?

DO wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Do NOT touch the blood or body fluids (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of people who are sick.

Do NOT handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person's blood or body fluids, like clothes, bedding, needles, or medical equipment.

Do NOT touch the body of someone who has died of Ebola.

What are the symptoms of Ebola?

Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus characterized by the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms including fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding.

What to do if you are exposed to Ebola?

If you have traveled to an area with an Ebola outbreak or had close contact with a person sick with Ebola, you may be at risk if you:

- Had direct contact with blood or body fluids or items that came into contact with blood or body fluids from a person with Ebola.

- Touched bats or nonhuman primates (like apes or monkeys) or blood, fluids, or raw meat prepared from these animals.

- Went into hospitals where Ebola patients were being treated and had close contact with the patients.

- Touched the body of a person who died of Ebola.

You should check for signs and symptoms of Ebola for 21 days:

- Take your temperature every morning and evening.

- Watch for other Ebola symptoms, like severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

- Call your doctor even if you do not have symptoms. The doctor can evaluate your exposure level and any symptoms and consult with public health authorities to determine if actions are needed.

During the time that you are watching for signs and symptoms, you can continue your normal activities, including going to work.

If you get sick after you come back from an area with an Ebola outbreak:

- Get medical care RIGHT AWAY if you have a fever (higher than 101.5F), severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

- Tell your doctor about your recent travel to West Africa or contact with a person who was sick with Ebola and your symptoms BEFORE you go to the doctor's office or emergency room. Calling before you go to the doctor's office or emergency

Just how deadly is Ebola?

Somewhere between 50 percent and 90 percent of the people who develop Ebola will die.

What's the incubation period for Ebola?

The time from infection with the virus to the onset of symptoms ranges from two to 21 days.

Is there a cure for Ebola?

Right now, there is no cure or vaccine. Doctors typically provide supportive care to patients, which may include oxygen, fluids, blood transfusions and treating subsequent infections. A few patients infected with the virus have been given experimental treatments, including doses of a promising drug called ZMapp. But supplies of ZMapp were limited and have since run out.

Several patients also appear to have been helped by blood transfusions from a person who survived Ebola and developed antibodies to the virus.

At the beginning of September, the National Institutes of Health began a clinical trial on a potential vaccine for the virus, but it is not being used on patients.

What's the history of Ebola?

Ebola first appeared in 1976. There were two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). The Congolese outbreak occurred in a village near the Ebola River, which is how the disease gets its name.

Fruit bats in the African forest are thought to be the natural host of the virus. In Africa, people have become infected through the handling of infected fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the
wild.


http://www.raxanreeb.com/2014/10/somalia-ebola-disease-could-be-there/

Ahmed Said Abwaan-kuluc is a blogger and an analyst based in Minnesota, USA. He can be reached at
abdinassirsomalia [at] gmail.com