WHO Alerts Countries, Disproves Claims About Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) a.k.a `EBOLA’

by Benson Agoha

As the World Health Organisation released details of the first meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the Director-General, under the International Health Regulations (2005) [IHR (2005)] regarding the 2014 Ebola, we bring you some salient points from the WHO statement.

* Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, 75, tested postive
for Ebola and is being treated in Madrid.
[Photo Credit: The Mail.]

WHO has declared EBOLA a `Public Health Emergency’, here we bring you some things you need to know about the EBOLA. And why some of those sectional beliefs by people near you may not be reliable.

On Tuesday, one Pastor Ralph told Woolwich Online that the EBOLA outbreak was curable with simple measures like rubbing bitter-cola serum on affected spots and bathing with salt in warm water, just as avoiding saliva and other bodily fluids from affected persons.

Yesterday, a WHO statement said “Bathing with salt and warm water, drinking water with salt does NOT cure Ebola.” WHO said such popular beliefs are wrong.

The official statement released by the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on EBOLA yesterday, the current outbreak has been declared a `Public Health Emergency of International Concern’.

In a series of tweets WHO sought to educate the public on why EBOLA was declared a health emergency. Some of the Tweets said:

“*Countries should be prepared to facilitate evacuation, repatriation of nationals (e.g. health workers) who have been exposed to Ebola.”

“*Countries should be prepared to manage travellers from known Ebola-infected areas arriving at international airports with unexplained febrile illness.”

“*Countries should be prepared to detect, investigate and manage Ebola cases, including access to qualified diagnostic lab for Ebola.”

“* Countries that are as yet unaffected, but share land borders adjoining states with EBOLA transmission should urgently establish surveillance for clusters of unexplained fever or deaths due to febrile illness.”

The Current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013. There are now transmissions involving Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone.

* Priest Miguel Pajares, in an isolated box on arrival in Madrid for treatment.
He is the first known case in Europe and is under heavy guard.
[Photo Credit: The Mail.]

Although the two new cases bring the total of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 9, the country has followed the WHO lead and declared a National Emergency on EBOLA, with President Jonathan Goodluck approving N1.9bn for efforts to contain it.

Nigeria plans to use intervention plan which will include establishing additional isolation centers, screening at borders and deploying more personnel.

The first known case in Europe is that of a 75 year old Spanish Priest working in Africa when he tested positive.  He was been flown back to Spain in isolated box, for treatment and placed under a heavy guard at the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid.Who said as of 4 Aug 2014, countries have reported 1,711 cases. The breakdown show 1,070 confirmed cases, 436 probable cases and 205 suspected cases. There has been 932 deaths from the disease.

See also >>> [www.woolwichonline.eu].