EXPERTS APPEAL FOR SELF-PROTECTION AGAINST EBOLA BY AVOIDING CONTACT WILD ANIMALS

Arua district production officer giving safety procedures to journalists about Ebola

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

Experts are warning residents of the West Nile region to avoid contact with wild animals and bats amid an escalating outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri Province.

There is currently no licensed vaccine that exists for this strain of ebolavirus, making it crucial to avoid bush meat and contact with sick or dead animals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Center Disease Control (CDC) have declared this a global public health emergency. The outbreak has increased alert levels in high-risk West Nile districts such as Arua city and district, Koboko, and Zombo, driven by cross-border movements.

Ebola transmits through direct contact with blood or body fluids of infected individuals or animals.

Dr. Willy Nguma, production officer and acting veterinary officer of Arua district, emphasized the importance of avoiding touching, consuming, or handling wild animals especially non-human primates and bats and their meat.

“We would like diseases to be controlled at the source. That means we need the communities to be aware of the disease and get early reporting because our perspective is that the earlier the disease is reported we concentrate our efforts in controlling the disease at source, so that the severe impacts it may cause may no longer be there” he said.

With mango harvesting season underway in the region, experts also advise the public to refrain from eating mangoes which fall from trees on their own, as fruit bats may have tempered with them. Residents near game reserves and forests are urged to heed early warning signs, including high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained bleeding.

Nguma, further calls for isolating anyone showing symptoms and alerting health authorities promptly for appropriate management.

“There practices that cause high risk to people for example people going into the forests and bushes to interact with wild animals like chimpanzees, monkeys, antelopes and fruit birds yet these are actual hosts for this Ebola virus. We would like to see that this risk behaviors of interacting with this species which are hosts to the Ebola are avoided” he added.

Maintaining good hygiene by washing hands frequently with soap and water and avoiding contact with sick individuals’ bodily fluids are essential preventive measures. Authorities also caution against psychosocial issues such as panic and stigma related to the outbreak.

The Ebola virus genus includes six species, with four causing human disease such as, Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, and Taï Forest ebolaviruses. The West Nile region is considered high-risk due to cross-border movement with the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The area hosts many refugees in settlements, complicating efforts to control disease spread and movement between countries.