1.
WHAT
CAN BE DONE IN RAILWAY STATIONS, SCHOOLS OR OTHER PUBLIC PLACES TO PREVENT
CONTAGION?
There
are strict decontamination procedures by Public Health England that must be
followed. Any area visibly contaminated – where there is blood, vomit or faeces
– and toilets and surfaces lots of people touch, such as door handles and
telephones, must be wiped with disposable towels to remove any visible fluids,
then cleaned with detergent or soap and water and allowed to dry. Then they
must be disinfected, for instance with diluted bleach – one part bleach to four
parts water. Those who do the cleaning must be fully covered, with long sleeved
shirts tucked into disposable gloves and trousers tucked into socks and closed
shoes. Any cuts or abrasions must be covered with plasters. But there is no
need to clean corridors or areas that the person has just passed through.
2.
HOW
LONG CAN THE VIRUS SURVIVE?
The
virus is quite fragile and is easily destroyed by UV light, drying out, high
temperatures (which is helpful in west Africa) and disinfectants including
soapy water and alcohol gel. The longest it is likely to survive is a few days,
if left in a pool of bodily fluid in a cool, damp place.
3.
IS
FOOD SAFE?
Yes,
if it is cooked. The Ebola virus is inactivated through cooking. Raw bush meat
is a risk. Past outbreaks of Ebola in Africa came from the hunting, butchering
and preparing of bush meat for people to eat.
4.
IS
EBOLA VIRUS AIRBORNE? SHOULD I WEAR A MASK?
No.
The virus is not airborne. In spite of speculation, the UN Ebola Mission for
Emergency Response says extensive studies of the virus have not shown any
airborne transmission. Patients do not cough and sneeze a lot with this disease
and the WHO states in an advisory notice: “Epidemiological data emerging from
the outbreak are not consistent with the pattern of spread seen with airborne
viruses, like those that cause measles and chickenpox, or the airborne
bacterium that causes tuberculosis.”
5.
WHAT
IF SOMEBODY COUGHS OR SNEEZES IN MY FACE?
There
is a theoretical possibility that a person heavily infected with Ebola could
cough violently and send wet, heavy droplets into the face of somebody nearby.
The person most at risk of catching Ebola this way would be whoever is nursing
the patient, and they would hopefully be wearing protective clothing including
a mask.
6.
COULD
THE EBOLA VIRUS MUTATE TO CHANGE THE WAY IT IS TRANSMITTED?
Although
viruses do mutate, scientists say no virus, to their knowledge, has changed its
mode of transmission, and there is no evidence that it is happening with Ebola.
7.
ARE
SPACEMAN-STYLE PROTECTIVE SUITS ANY GOOD, GIVEN THAT SOME HEALTH WORKERS
WEARING THEM HAVE GOT EBOLA?
They
work as long as they are used properly. There are strict procedures for taking
them off when the gloves and outside of the suit may be covered in virus. The
US Centers for Disease Control has a guide for safe removal, to ensure bare
hands do not touch contaminated material.
8.
ARE
SCANNERS THE ANSWER FOR DETECTING INFECTED PEOPLE ENTERING THE UK?
No.
All that scanners can detect are raised body temperatures. That could be caused
by a cold virus or even the menopause, rather than Ebola. Every person with a
raised temperature would then have to have a blood test for Ebola. There are
two other problems: people could arrive from west Africa by any port, not least
because airlines are not flying directly here from affected countries, so
logically there would have to be scanners also at the seaports and the Channel
tunnel. And the biggest issue is that people are likely to arrive in the days
before symptoms show, so they will not have a high temperature and there is no
way to they are carrying Ebola.
Courtesy: Sarah Boseley, health correspondent
The Guardian, October
2014
No2. HE DIDN'T DIE ALONE: Death is brutal, but sometimes, we get consolation from those that are LEFT behind to Live on! However, we a man Dies, and His Wife Follows Suits... Its a terrible thought; what makes it become heartbreaking is when his FIRST SON... His Pride, Future and Joy is gone too!!! Truly thats sad. Who is going to look after the other children?
No3: HE WAS DIFFERENT: For those that followed the Ministerial Screening, Mr. James was one of the candidates that stood out. His Charisma, Charm and Intelligence was something worthy of admiration. He represented the Kind of persons needed to bring about the Kind of CHANGE Nigeria really needs.
