• Avoid travelling to areas of known outbreaks
• Wash your hands frequently: use soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs
• Avoid bush meat: wild animals (chimps, Monkeys, bats, etc) are frequent hosts of these viruses (Ebola and Marburg). Humans contract the virus from infected animals, and spread from human to human through contact with body fluids or contaminated needles. Health care workers and family care givers are particularly at risk.
• Avoid contact with infected people (dead or alive). One who dies from Ebola infection still remains contagious.
• Follow infection-control procedures: universal precautions (gloves, gowns, masks, eye shields, etc, especially when in contact with infected persons or remains).
• Do Not handle remains: specially organized and trained teams should bury the remains using appropriate safety procedures.
• Report to the nearest health facility (clinic, hospital) with signs and symptoms of flu or malaria which could just be early manifestations of Ebola infection especially in those with supportive travel history, i.e., recent travel to Ebola native areas. These early signs and symptoms will develop within 5 – 10 days.
DO NOT WAIT FOR LATE SIGNS/SYMPTOMS (such as bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, eyes, ears; diarrhea, vomiting, etc) which are usually fatal. Fatality rate is as high as 90%.
- STAY CALM……
Ebola prevention tips
