HEALTH

Ebola FAQs

by Dr. Sajjad Sherally Fazel (PharmD. - Intern)

What is the Ebola situation currently
like?
People are dying in their own pool of
blood, urine, feces and vomit. Too weak
to move away, too weak to stand up.
They need help eating, drinking and taking
medications also. Some of them have
lost their parents, children, relatives and
friends. (as documented by healthcare
experts stationed in West Africa) This
is the situation in Sierra Leone, one of the
worst hit areas of the Ebola virus disease.
This year was the biggest Ebola outbreak
in history. It started in Guinea at the end of
2013 and slowly spread and was declared
an outbreak by 8th August this year. It has
claimed the lives of over 6000 people,
mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Where did the virus originate from?
The virus first appeared in 1976 in a village
near the Ebola River in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, where it had claimed
the lives of more than 200 people. It is
believed that the virus is carried via fruit
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bats, as they are able to spread the virus

without being affected. Other animals such
as chimpanzees, gorillas and monkeys are
also affected. The spread from animals to
humans is believed to involve the direct
contact between infected animals and
humans. In West Africa, wild animals such
as fruit bats are hunted for food and bush
meat.
How long does it take for symptoms
to appear?
The virus can take between 2 to 21 days to
incubate, which is the time for symptoms
to appear. The flu-like symptoms include;
fever, muscle pain, headaches, vomiting,
diarrhea, rash and bruising or bleeding
without an injury. If not managed well,
people with Ebola virus disease may die
from blood loss and internal bleeding.
Can anyone survive Ebola?
Ebola is a survivable disease with adequate
care and up-to-par health facilities. The
two main reasons for the epidemic in

JANUARY 2015

Besides inadequate healthcare facilities,

people stayed home and refrained to visit
hospitals due to the phobia or fear of
being mistreated by healthcare workers.
Do we have to be worried in Tanzania?
It is unlikely for the virus to be an epidemic
in Tanzania, and as extra precaution the
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is
doing checkups of all people coming in
to the country. Also, healthcare workers
at Muhimbili National Hospital are aware
of the disease and tents are set up in
the event of an Ebola case. Tanzania has
good rapport and cooperation from
USAID , WHO and CDC who train and set
guidelines for infection control. People
travelling out of the country and especially
to West Africa have to take necessary
precautions.
What precautions one must take?
Precautions for avoiding the transmission
of Ebola Virus involve avoiding infected

people, their body fluids and the corpses

of those who die from the disease. Avoid
items touched by Ebola patients, and
wash hands often. Also avoid contact
with wild animals like monkeys and bats
and refrain from eating the meat of these
animals.
Why has the virus not spread to other
parts of Africa?
Ebola has been contained mostly in
West Africa due to the exceptional work
done by courageous healthcare workers.
It is great to see the aid sent by various
organizations and nations as well as
the selflessness of numerous healthcare
workers in preventing the spread of this
disease. The situation in Sierra Leone is
still bad, but overall its much better than
it was a couple of months ago.

HEALTH

West Africa was how the infected patients

were treated by healthcare workers and
the poor overloaded healthcare facilities
in these countries. The survival rate for
people with Ebola Virus Disease in the
United States is 80%.

Dr. Sajjad Sherally Fazel is an intern

pursuing his Doctor of Pharmacy degree
at Manipal College of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, Manipal University, India. He
is a Tanzanian and currently conducting
research on the awareness of healthcare
workers towards Ebola Virus Disease.
Contact: sajjadfazel@hotmail.com

January 2015

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