Now that a second case of Ebola infection has been diagnosed in
Texas, it seems the epidemic currently ravaging West Africa is beginning to
assume alarming proportions.
Here are the known facts of the Ebola infection.
From WorldHealth Organization ...
Key facts
· Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic
fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
· The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads
in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
· The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality
rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
· The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central
Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in west
Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
·
Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks.
Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely
case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service,
safe burials and social mobilisation.
·
Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment
improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise
the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under
development.
· There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential
candidates are undergoing evaluation.
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Healthcare workers treating Ebola patients are required to wear
protective gowns, face mask and goggles – in other words they have to cover
every single inch of their body in order not to come into contact with the
bodily fluids of the patients.
But this second case seems to be quite perplexing. How did this
second person contract Ebola infection despite having full body protective
gear?
From NBC... (the bold and highlighting is mine.)
|
….
The worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital became infected
despite wearing full protective gear — a gown, gloves, mask and shield
— while treating Duncan, Dr. Daniel Varga of Texas Health Resources,
which owns the hospital, said at an earlier news conference in Dallas. ….
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How did it happen? That is a big mystery. In order to try to
pinpoint the reason, officials seem to be latching on to the theory that there
was a breach in protocol. But they don't seem to know what it is.
Again from NBC
article......
….
Earlier, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said officials
at the agency are "deeply concerned" about the new Ebola
case involving the unidentified female caregiver, because she was infected
after Duncan was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Sept 28,
when all workers were taking full precautions against Ebola transmission. He
said the employee had been interviewed and could not "identify the
specific breach" that allowed the infection to spread.
….
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Which raises a very serious possibility that whatever we know so
far about this virus – seems to be very little in fact – and its transmission, there
might be some other mechanism, apart from the known ones, through which
the virus is transmitted. Which in other words mean - Could it become
airborne? And, if it so, then it is absolutely scary.
Imagine if something like this ever gets a toe-hold in Indian subcontinent, the
potential for social, economic and political catastrophe would be huge.
And, this is what exactly seems to have been on the mind of the PeterPiot, discoverer of Ebola virus
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….
Do you think we might be facing the beginnings of a pandemic?
There will certainly be Ebola patients from Africa who come to
us in the hope of receiving treatment. And they might even infect a few
people here who may then die. But an outbreak in Europe or North America would
quickly be brought under control. I am more worried about the many
people from India who work in trade or industry in west Africa. It would only
take one of them to become infected, travel to India to visit relatives
during the virus's incubation period, and then, once he becomes sick, go to a
public hospital there. Doctors and nurses in India, too, often don't wear
protective gloves. They would immediately become infected and spread the
virus.
…. |
Considering lack of awareness or perhaps with total apathy towards
basics of hygiene in India, this is scary indeed.
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