There is something surreal about the spread of the Ebola virus, and while we at this end of the world have not been impacted by this truly insidious microbe, it can arrive in Jamaica at any time by the convenience of jet travel.

Ebola, one of history’s deadliest pathogens, was first identified in the Congolese jungle village of Ebola in 1976 and since then it has mutated or changed into more than 340 forms. Some forms are so deadly that they have killed about 90 per cent of persons that are infected.

The Ebola crisis has put the sporting world on edge. The international sporting committees worldwide are now huddling to come up with a contingency plan to protect athletes who are travelling from region to region to perform.

Sporting organisations fear that the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in some West Africa countries may impact sports negatively. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) prohibited some young athletes from the Ebola-affected region of West Africa from participating in certain events at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

These athletes were not allowed to compete in combat sports or in the swimming pool, as it is impossible to rule out potential risk of infection to other athletes. Nigeria and Sierra Leone withdrew from the August 16-28 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in China on the grounds that the athletes from the two countries were stigmatised. This was the very same Youth Olympics where Jaheel Hyde and Martin Manley performed magnificently to take gold in the 110 metres hurdles and 400m, respectively.

Doubts have also been cast on some international football games, especially the qualifying matches for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Sierra Leone, where 422 people have died so far, named a 20-man squad consisting entirely of foreign-based players for their matches against Ivory Coast and the DR Congo.

Ivory Coast’s government has refused to allow the game to be played in Abidjan and has not announced an alternative venue. Ivory Coast risk forfeiting the match if they fail to show up. However, the greater risk of spreading the Ebola virus takes precedence.

Joanne Liu, president of International Medical Charity, has accused world leaders of failing to come to grips with the Ebola threat in West Africa, and as such Jorge Castilla-Echenique, health adviser at the European Commission’s humanitarian arm (ECHO), said Ebola was now a question of international security.

The Ebola story is a terrifying narrative as there have been cases in Britain, the USA, Spain, and suspected cases in India, Canada and Sweden. Some of these European countries where there are suspected cases have been venues for the Diamond League races that many Jamaican athletes participate in.

There is no known cure for Ebola, but the experimental drug ZMAPP is promising. Some persons have taken it and survived. It is, however, in short supply and for now is almost exclusively found in the USA where production lags behind critical demand.

Since the Jamaican athletes travelled to Diamond League races and other international games all over the globe, we should try our best to educate them on the necessary precautions they need to take to prevent getting infected.

To date there is speculation about the mode of transmission — some say Ebola is airborne, other researchers say otherwise. What we do know is that its virulence is regionally(deadliest region is Africa) with some variants causing almost 100 per cent mortality .

Recommendations, based on guidelines from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organisation (WHO) and researchers directly involved in the containment are :

1. Avoid handshaking, and if you must, sanitise your hands afterwards with locally proven hand-based sanitisers that will not irritate or break the skin barrier, because open wounds put you at grave risk of becoming infected.

2. Avoid hugging as much as possible because Ebola is highly contagious and may be transmitted through sweat, tears and saliva.

3. Ensure that hotel rooms are cleaned daily. Bedding and linens in hotel rooms should be fresh and not soiled. Sheets should be changed daily. Linens and soiled clothes have been sources of contamination. Be aware of your surroundings, make sure they are clean, even if you are very tired after a race.

4. After you have interacted and done your rounds of meeting and greeting, do not jump into bed before changing your outside clothes; pack them away and have a bath so you do not bring anything with you to bed.

5. Check the Ebola update for travellers to and from Africa. There is an interactive map: tourismupdate.co.za that gives updated information on the areas that are severely impacted in West and Central Africa.

6. Athletes should try to stay hydrated as much as possible. A few sealed bottles of drinking water and hydration fluid (such as bottles of coconut water from off the shelves) should be at the bottom of travelling luggage at all times. A truly hydrated athlete is at a lower risk of contracting a virus, as a fully functional immune system is the best defence against ill health. As you represent your country, we here at home pray that you stay safe in this truly terrifying Ebola outbreak.

Editor’s note: Dr Rachael Irving is senior research fellow in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences-Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Mona.