In the wake of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, sex workers in Kolkata’s biggest red light district area Sonagachi have been asked to not entertain Africans. Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a forum of 1,30,000 sex workers in West Bengal, has warned of a life risk should they come in contact with infected persons. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

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‘We have requested the sex workers not to entertain Africans as it can be a life risk for them if they get infected by the highly contagious Ebola virus causing havoc in some West African countries,’ Mahasweta, a member of the DMSC, told PTI. Also Read - Ebola Virus Disease: Some unknown facts associated with it

The organisation is also training and providing classes to sex workers to identify the signs and symptoms of the disease so that they can spot an Ebola-affected person.

‘According to WHO guidelines, transmission of the virus requires close contact with body fluids such as sweat, saliva, cough of an infected person and also body contact. So we are training the sex workers on how to identify the symptoms,’ Samarjit Jana of Durbar, who is looking after the training programme, told PTI. Jana says that the training schedule forms a part of the regular training programme in which sex workers are taught on sexually transmitted or body contact transmission disease.

Asked if the guideline applied to all foreigners, not just Africans, who showed the symptoms, Jana said, ‘This is for the sex workers to decide. We can request them for their own safety and we have told them to be careful.’ According to the latest WHO update, 128 new cases of Ebola virus disease as well as 56 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone between August 10 and 11, bringing the total number of cases to 1,975 and deaths to 1,069. The Ebola virus is highly contagious, but is not airborne. Jana said that the training programme, which started this week in Sonagachi, would be extended to other red light areas in the city as well as the entire state, especially in port and bordering areas.

The Ebola virus was first seen infecting humans in African countries; especially Sudan. But now, the virus seems to have gripped the world’s interest due to its destructive potential. Snuffing out the lives of almost 80% of the population that suffers from the disease, Ebola hemorrhagic fever is definitely a condition that has the capability to infect millions. In order to help you stay safe from this deadly disease, here are all your questions about the condition answered.

What is it?

The Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a severe condition caused by a virus from the Filoviridae family. Known to be a condition that is transmitted from animals to humans, this virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.

How is it transmitted? What are its causes?

According to scientists there are five different types of the virus, all of which have the potential to infect humans. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation) this disease can be transmitted from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In humans the disease can be transmitted by the following methods:

Coming into contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of an infected person.

Healthcare workers may contract the disease through transmission as well through contact with infected bodily fluids.

Handling the meat from infected animals.

Contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who has passed away.

Who is most likely to get infected?

Dr Ratan Kumar Vaish, Senior Consultant, Department of Internal medicine, Rockland Group of Hospitals, Delhi-NCR says, ‘The condition is contagious, so migratory populations are most likely to get infected and transmit the virus. Interestingly, this condition is also a hospital acquired infection and is commonly transmitted to hospital staff. Apart from that, high risk individuals include diabetics, immunocompromised patients, patients with kidney and liver failure and HIV infected people.’

What are the symptoms?

The incubation period (or the time between when the actual infection takes place to the time when a person sees symptoms of this condition) for this disease is about one week. After this period a person will commonly see the signs that are considered as ‘early symptoms’. According to Dr Ratan, the early symptoms include fever, rashes, headache, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. Apart from that a person may also experience symptoms like pain in the lower back, arthritis like pain all over the body, diarrhea and a sore throat.

Once the condition has progressed a person may notice symptoms like:

Bleeding from the mouth, ears, nose and ears.

Increased sensitivity to pain on the skin,

Genital swelling

Conjunctivitis

Rashes all over the body,

And reddening of the roof of the mouth.

Should people in India worry?

‘It’s not prevalent in India, but people living in remote areas, where living conditions are poor, are always at risk of getting infected. But largely there is no need to worry as such.’ Read more about Ebola virus causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and prevention

With inputs from PTI

Photo source: Getty images

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