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The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has cautioned the public to avoid direct contacts with wildlife especially the African fruit bat which has been detected as the main reservoir of the deadly Ebola virus. This is because over 80 species of bats exist across the world and migrate from one place to the other without border restrictions and one cannot easily tell the kind of bat he or she comes into contact with. The GHS said before the threats of Ebola were raised in Ghana this year, some bats with anti-bodies of Ebola were found at Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region. Speaking at a day�s workshop to educate the media of the preventive measures against the disease, the Head of the Disease Surveillance Department of the GHS, Dr. Badu Sarkodie, said anyone who handles forest animals especially bats must put on gloves and other appropriate protective clothing in order to be safe. He said the rise of Ebola infestations in some countries in West Africa could easily break out in Ghana, hence the need for Ghanaians to ensure that any raw meat to be eaten must be well cooked. �In Africa, Ebola infections have also been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines found ill or dead in the forest,� he said. Dr. Sarkodie said Ebola is introduced into the human population and spread through the communities by way of close contact with blood, secretion, organs or other bodily fluids and infected animals. He said burial ceremonies where mourners had direct contact with the body of the deceased person with Ebola infection could also play a role in the transmission of the disease. He said transmission of EVD through infected semen could occur up to seven weeks after clinical recovery. Dr. Sarkodie said the detection of the Ebola virus in the human body could take as early as two days and as late as 21 days. He said the symptoms of Ebola was characterized by sudden onset of high fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and sore throats, which could lead to vomiting, diarrhea and profuse bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, as well as the mouth and rectum. He therefore advised that, anybody who experienced any of those symptoms should quickly report to a health facility. Dr. Sarkodie advised the public to protect themselves by using gloves and personal protective equipments before attending to suspected infected people. He urged healthcare workers to recognize cases of the disease when they appeared and use barrier isolation techniques to avoid direct contact with infected people. Dr. Sarkodie said the Ebola virus disease had no cure, vaccine or anti-retroviral and, therefore, the public could use carrier bags as substitutes to protect themselves when assisting in emergency suspected infections in their communities. �The Ebola virus is not congenic but can be transmitted to an unborn baby during pregnancy,� he said. Outbreaks of Ebola have been reported in parts of West Africa, particularly Guinea and Sierra Leone. Dr. Sarkodie said although the GHS had instituted a national surveillance system to forestall a possible outbreak of the disease, Ghana is still not perpetually free from it, hence the need for the public to adhere to the suggested preventive measures.