Peacefmonline.com can confirm that the blood sample of a Nigerian, suspected to have contracted the deadly Ebola Virus, has been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for analysis.
The middle-aged man was admitted at the Lekma Polyclinic, Nungua, a suburb of Accra on Wednesday, after showing signs of the Ebola Virus.
While doctors await the results of the test, the patient has been quarantined to avoid any transmission if indeed he has the virus.
The Ebola disease which is spreading like a wildfire has so far been recorded in Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Ebola is a severe, infectious often-fatal disease in humans that presents with high fever and bleeding. There is no vaccine against Ebola. It is very infectious and can kill in a short time but Ebola can be prevented.
The virus is characterised by sudden onset of fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
This is often followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and bleeding tendencies (both internal and external) that may include blood spots in the eyes, blood in the vomitus, sputum, urine or stool, bleeding from the nose and other body openings.
The virus is spread through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected or dead animals.
In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found dead or ill in the rainforest.
Direct physical contact with body fluids of infected persons like blood, saliva, stool, vomitus, urine, and soiled linen.
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