The news that a Port-Harcourt-based medical doctor, who secretly treated a diplomat who had primary contact with the late Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer,   had died from Ebola has again brought to the fore issues about the role of health workers in containing the outbreak which has killed over 1,550 people in West Africa.

According to experts, the situation in Port Harcourt shows that the warning from international and local health agencies that doctors and other health workers must be on the lookout and report suspected cases of the Ebola Virus Disease to state authorities may have fallen on deaf ears.

They note that these are not times for doctors to dismiss the threat of Ebola to their lives and the health of the country.

According to them, a carelessly managed or an uncontained case of Ebola puts the whole nation at risk.

Public health physician, Dr. James Aikpoh, notes that apart from protecting themselves when attending to patients with symptoms of Ebola, they should also report such cases to health authorities to ensure that the patients and other contacts are contained.

“ As doctors we have a lot to do to ensure that Ebola does not escalate. If Adadevoh had discharged Patrick Sawyer after she suspected that he had Ebola, It would have been a disaster. It would have been impossible to know secondary contacts and monitor the person-to-person transmission.

“If the hospital had not reported to the state government it would have been impossible for them to get treated or isolated. Those seven patients that were infected but surived would have died if not that they were quarantined and treated early.

“If the hospital had hushed the Sawyer case, they would have put all their patients at risk. No doctor should be scared of being quarantined in the fight against this killer disease. They should come forward when they come in contact with suspected cases.”

On her part, public health physician, Dr. Damililo Anjorin, says till the Ebola outbreak wears off from West Africa, doctors must have a high index of suspicion when patients with two or three of the symptoms of Ebola come to their health facilities.

She states, “No doctor should be gullible at the moment. If you have a patient that has high fever, is vomiting and stooling, common sense dictates that you isolate the patient, protect yourself, limit the number of staff attending to the patient and report to the state health authorities, who will in turn apply international guidelines of treatment. We are the ones that will help the society to contain this disease because we are the ones trained to detect it.”

Over 120 health workers have died of Ebola and twice of that number have been infected with the deadly virus in West Africa – according to the World Health Organisation. The global body notes that those at the highest risk of contracting it are health care workers who treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection.

The WHO says they could get infected in the course of feeding, injecting, holding and caring for the sick.

The global body advises health workers to be at alert; wear personal protective equipment, observe universal basic precautions when attending to suspected or confirmed cases, and report to the local health authorities immediately.

Other measures, which include washing of hands often with soap and water, avoiding bodily contact with people who are sick and ensuring that objects used by the sick are decontaminated and properly disposed, are also meant to reduce the risk of infection.

It notes that one could still contract the virus from an infected person as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus – in some cases, up to seven weeks after they have recovered.

For those who do not know yet, Ebola Virus Disease is an haemorrhagic fever and one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind.

It has no known cure and it could kill an infected person within few days of symptoms, whether the victim gets treatment or not.

The initial symptoms of the viral disease can include sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and sore throat. This can later progress to vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding. The Ebola virus does not respond to any vaccine.

The incubation period of the virus can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The best treatment affected persons get is therapy.

Some of the hosts of the virus include wild forest animals, including chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, antelope, and fruit bats. There is enough scientific evidence to show that Ebola virus can be contracted by persons who eat or handling infected animals like bush meat.