Ministry of Health mum on Ebola virus threat

As staggering figures of Ebola virus fatalities emerge in West Africa, UAE residents are raising questions about the dangers posed by the disease and ways to prevent it. Even as countries across the globe are on high alert, the UAE’s Ministry of Health remained tight-lipped about the outbreak.

What is Ebola? • Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. • EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%. • EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. • Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus. • Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

Signs and symptoms • Fever • Headache • Joint and muscle aches • Weakness • Diarrhoea • Vomiting • Stomach pain • Lack of appetite

Some patients may experience: • A rash • Red Eyes • Hiccups • Cough • Sore throat • Chest pain • Difficulty breathing • Difficulty swallowing • Bleeding inside and outside of the body

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to ebola virus though 8-10 days is most common. Some who become sick with Ebola HF are able to recover, while others do not. The reasons behind this are not yet fully understood. However, it is known that patients who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus at the time of death. WHO suggests that the fruit vampire bats is the important reservoir hosts of emerging virus.

When Khaleej Times asked the ministry for updates, its media section asked for a questionnaire “which would be answered next week at the end of the Eid holidays”.

The European Union (EU) and a number of countries across the world have taken precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the virus, which has so far claimed 729 lives in West Africa since February.

Health entities across the world are on full alert, with plans being chalked out to prevent the spreading of the disease into their respective countries.

British officials held a meeting to discuss the crisis, and warned of a “strong and potential threat” in case in case the virus spreads on a larger scale. Phillip Hammond, the UK’s foreign secretary, chaired a meeting on Wednesday and said the virus is not growing exponentially and is containable. “It seems in the worst outbreak areas to be contained at the present time, so that is obviously the logical approach, to try to provide additional resources to deal with the disease at source.”

Speaking to Khaleej Times from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone — where 233 people died from the outbreak — a source described the situation as “grim” and said they have been asked to stay at home by the government.

“We have stocked supplies as a health emergency has been declared. Movement in the capital and public gatherings have been banned. People from the eastern villages have been given only limited access to cities to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.

Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone, has cancelled his forthcoming trip to Washington because of the outbreak.

Symptoms of the disease may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus though eight to 10 days is most common. The reasons behind the outbreak are not fully understood yet.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com