CAN the highly-contagious Ebola virus be contracted from casual contact? Public perception is that as you go about your daily routine, you could easily contract the virus from simple day-to-day encounters like a hand shake or using a public pay phone.
The common way through which Ebola is transmitted is contact with bodily fluids such as mucus, saliva and blood. Below are the perceptions causing fear in the public in the face of Ebola, which has so far claimed 24 lives.
Communal customs Dr Christopher Orach, the head of the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences at Makerere University Institute of Public Health, says community gatherings are the most deadly sources of spreading the Ebola virus.
“Communal gatherings are very harmful, especially if there are Ebola patients or people who have been looking after them,” he says.
Orach advises people to avoid communal eating or washing of hands, which in the past wiped out a family.
In 2001, family members and friends in Gulu kept the body of a 36-year old woman in her hut during a two-day funeral. They conducted a ritual bath and buried her less than 30 feet from the hut, before washing their hands in a communal basin as a sign of unity. That was on September 7, 2000.
What they did not know then was that the woman had died of Ebola. The deceased’s mother, three sisters and three other relatives died of the disease within days after the burial. And several people who attended the funeral contracted the disease.
Hand shake This is misplaced fear, according to Dr Alex Opio, the assistant commissioner in charge of National Disease Control at the Ministry of Health. What should be feared is a handshake with people who are infected and probably with hands contaminated by their body fluids.
“If you touch the fluid and again touch your eyes, you will be infected, Dr Opio says.
To touch or shake hands with an infected person, you need protective gear like gloves. And it is advised that you wash your hands with soap and water immediately after shaking hands with an infected person or a suspected victim.
Public pay phones Most people think there is a possibility of contracting Ebola from a pay phone which has been used by a victim. However Orach says the chances are very minimal.
“It is unlikely that one would easily contract the disease here. Viruses do not survive long when exposed to ultra viral rays. They mainly survive through body fluids of an infected person. I do not see a phone as a likely source of Ebola,” he says.
Public transport As the Christmas festivities set in, there will be a lot of movement as people travel to different parts of the country to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones. The fear is that this might increase the risks of contracting the deadly virus, especially in public vehicles.
Orach says this is only likely if one sits next to a sick person and they vomit or pass out body fluids, including sweat, especially if it is a long journey.
Touching Money There are fears that if an Ebola patient has held money and another person gets their hands on it, they could also contract the disease. Some banks have taken the threat so seriously that they have decided to buy gloves for their staff as a precautionary measure.
However, Orach downplays contracting Ebola from touching money that has gone through the hands of an infected person.
“Money is a very unlikely source of the infection,” he stresses. “Certainly, it is ok for bank staff to have gloves, not only for the Ebola problem, but other fungal infections. But it is not possible for one to contract Ebola from money picked from the bank.”
Hugging There are fears that hugging a person with the virus could also expose one to the disease.
“Intimate hugging with a sick person can expose one to the disease, especially through sweat.”
Spitting in public Saliva from an infected person can also spread the virus. However, spitting in public is bad. It is unhygienic.
Public toilets Orach warns that if one goes to a public toilet and finds water all over the floor and excreta, then it is a risk. But if there is safe disposal and the place dry and clean, even if someone infected has used it, the next person cannot contract the virus from there.
Crowded places Opio says if people are in a crowded place with no person infected, there is no danger. It becomes a problem when there is an infected person. However, he says people should not be scared since the problem is confined to Bundibugyo district.
