It is no longer news that the Ebola Virus Disease is now a dread that many West African countries have to deal with promptly because of its fast spreading effect.
Although there have been many deadly diseases and viruses, this Ebola Virus is way different from all viruses that the human race have had to deal with in the past. While many other diseases can stay
in an infected person’s body for as long as 15 years, the Ebola virus, which symptoms include bleeding from the mouth and anus, can kill its victims within days .
Ebola which is the biggest health challenge facing the sub region at present has been described by a professor of Epidemiology and Community Health Science in University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Tanimola Akande as deadlier than any other viruses known before now due to the mode of transmission.
In his words, he said: “That Ebola has no cure is not the reason why it is deadly. HIV also has no cure, yet it does not kill all its victims, if it is properly managed. Ebola is deadlier because it is easy to contract; it is in all the body fluids of an infected individual as its infection can be through saliva, blood, sweat, sperm, excreta, body tissue. It can also be contracted by touching the surface an infected person has touched.”
“Also, the natural host for Ebola is fruit bats, chimpanzees and other forest animals that many eat daily in different parts of the country. You can get it just by coming in contact with the blood of an infected animal. Any virus that can be contracted through food has the potential to wipe off many lives.”
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