BY DR. AUGUSTINE KAMARA
The Ebola disease is one of hemorrhagic diseases. A viral disease that affects the immune system and hampers the clotting factors of the body . Infection eventually leads to bleeding in orifices of the body. This is characterized by high grade fever, vomiting blood, diarrhea and death. The patients would have been exposed to the virus through contact cases body fluids, or eating improper cooked meat of animals known as reservoirs containing the virus. Exposure has a maximum incubation period of twenty one days. The virus is known to be carried by wild animals reservoirs such as monkeys, chimpanzees wild bats, and other bush meat.
There are other hemorrhagic diseases that have affected mankind in the past.The virus pasturella pestis that caused the bubonic plague known as black death nearly annihilated Europe in the middle ages. Similar viral diseases of hemorrhagic nature had surfaced in the past in Yugoslavia, and in Germany- Maborg known as the marborg virus. In Sierra Leone Lassa fever is an endemic hemorrhagic disease that has persisted in the same geographical area that is now infected with Ebola.
Ebola was given the name in East Africa when the killer disease struck that region some twenty years ago affecting Sudan, Congo-Zaire, and Uganda. These countries share common borders and each of those countries had ongoing civil strife. The world health organization and other nations showed concern in fighting the deadly virus. The virulence of this disease has a mortality rate of ninety percent (90%).
The emergence of this deadly disease in west Africa was reported about three months ago affecting Guinea and Liberia a world health organization warning was alarmed. Sierra Leone was initially excluded. There was no immediate threat realized in Sierra Leone in the borders of Liberia and Guinea. What was frightening is the free flow of people between the three countries as if nothing was there to worry about the virus. I guess people depended on divine intervention other than scientific prevention. As an eye witness one of the precautions I can testify to was, enough sensitization of the public by social media . The prevailing statistics of the disease and its victims was lower than expected. This was my concern and I think my fears were allayed in one hand that the governments of the the three countries were vigilant in nipping the disease at its bud stage along their borders. On the other hand I was not comfortable with the arrogance and neglecting attitude of many Sierra Leoneans who do not believe that Ebola is a threat, but just a mere political ploy to embezzle money by the government or the ministry of health. I want to appeal to all Sierra Leoneans that we must have a positive attitude in standing as one nation in terms of national issues. We never took the rebel war as a serious threat when it began by coincidence in the same region until it reached the shores of Freetown. We must take Ebola a real threat and do all we can until it is declared safe. So far I think is doing her best to contain the disease but I think more is required on the ground to be done.
I have the opportunity to practice medicine this time around when I am in Sierra Leone. I believe in the interest of the nation we have to appeal for availability of more disposables to the world health organization for the health personnel and public for protective gear against infected cases or sporadic spread of Ebola. Again let us be aware of the disease and observe simple hygiene of hand washing. In case there is no availability of gloves we can improvise plastic bags to wrap our hands when handling Ebola victims. The threat about Ebola is real .
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