PNG warned of Ebola virus

PNG has been on alert following the EBOLA outbreak in Western Africa.

According to a FACT SHEET provided by the World Health Organisation, Ebola does not occur naturally in PNG and no cases have been detected.

Ebola is a severe acute viral illness which may include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

Ebola is not spread through the air by TB, it is not spread by mosquitoes or other insects. Ebola is initially spread from certain animals in Africa to people, but once it gets into people it can spread directly between them, through direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes with infected body fluids.

Furthermore, Ebola can initially look like several other diseases that may occur in PNG, it is more likely that someone with Ebola Like symptoms instead has one of the infections, Malaria, typhoid, fever or dengue.

Because EBOLA does not naturally occur in PNG, if you have TRAVELLED to West Africa in the past 3 weeks and you develop Ebola Like Symptoms, you must report immediately to a health care centre.

There is no specific medicine for treating Ebola yet.