Ministry of Health and that of Information Technology and National Guidance ought to put their act together so that the dreaded Ebola disease is eradicated from the country.
Besides the medical doctors treatment, pertinent information surrounding the disease should be disseminated to citizens in their local dialects.
Commendable Job from Dr. Tumwine
Credits to Dr. Daniel Tumwine;
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ (๐๐ป๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ, ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ, ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ)
Heard that Ebola is in Kampala?
Donโt panic.
Unlike Covid-19, Ebola doesnโt spread through air.
In fact you can interact with a person with Ebola and not get itโฆ
How?
With Ebola, you strictly get it if you get in touch with the BODY FLUIDS of a person with ebola.
So if even a minuscule droplet of their vomiting, sweat, diarrhea, blood, saliva or semen.
Just a veryย small drop is enough.
But then there are 3 phases of Ebola;
These 3 phases of Ebola are:
a) Asymptomatic phase.
b) Dry symptoms phase.
c) Wet symptom phase.
In the Asymptomatic phase, you will get Ebola but have no symptoms.
This can be anything from 2 days to 21 days.
So you can get your first symptoms of Ebola up to 21 after you got infected.
Because you have no symptoms in this phase, you will not vomit, not have diarrhea, not be bleeding etc. So YOU CANT SPREAD EBOLA.
You are not infectious.
People can interact with you and not catch Ebola.
Your colleagues will come to work with you, but not spread it to you.
In the Dry Symptoms phase, you start getting symptoms eg BAAAAD headache, Serious fever, joint pain, being weak, muscle ache, sore throat etc.
These symptoms are as if you have terrible malaria!
Many people are so weak in this phase and hence call in sick and stay home.
They are usually too weak or tired to leave home.
At this rate you may be infectious through your sweat, but the infecfiousness isnโt too high.
This phase lasts about a week or so.
After a week of staying home, you may then start getting WET SYMPTOMS.
This is usually in the second week of you first getting symptoms.
These WET symptoms include;
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Bleeding through the mouth, gums, ears etc.
At this stage, you ARE EXTREMELY INFECTIOUS!!!!
Anyone who is near you, who takes care of you, even touches your clothes or cup will very likely get Ebola.
At this rate of course you are too weak to go to the market, bank, work etc.
Your relatives will probably take you to your pastor, the witchdoctor, herbalist, pharmacist and/or hospitals.
These pastors, herbalists, healt workers etc will also catch it.
In fact in the last big Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, Sierra Leon lost 33% of its health workforce to Ebola.
Bankers less than 1%.
So the people at greatest risk of catching Ebola are not the bakers, bankers, dressmakers, gym guys etc, but the pastors, herbalists, doctors and nurses as well as family members who were there when you vomited, had diarrhea, bled etc.
So donโt panic too much.
Just avoid us docs who are working with vomiting people; donโt go to burials; donโt visit hospitals; and when your loved one shows signs of Ebola, do not go around town.
Do not take your sick vomitting loved one everywhere.
Call for Ebola help.
Self isolate for 21 days.
Hope this helps!