NIGERIA: SLEEPWALKING INTO EBOLA VIRUS When Mikel Obi was reported to have worn hand-gloves upon arrival at the Super eagles’ camp in Calabar, a friend of mine (Ghali) who drew my attention to it condemn the act but I applauded it on the premise that as one of the five countries in the world being ravaged by the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease [EVD], we are yet to set-up the requisite medical infrastructure (throughout the country) to contain the virus and provide adequate medical care to victims of the virus. First, we were not proactive. We Waited until Patrick Sawyer imported the virus into the country before we started making positive moves. Hence, the Ebola Isolation Centre in Lagos was established. We still allowed Ibukun Koye, a primary contact to Sawyer flee quarantine in Lagos and traveled to Port Harcourt in Rivers state, where he infected Dr. Iyke Samuel Enemuo. Then another Isolation Centre was established in Port Harcourt. When a 19-year old law student of the Ahmadu Bello University [ABU] Zaria, Kaduna State manifested some symptoms of the EVD the patient’s blood was sent to Lagos for testing while on admission at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital [ABUTH] and it took two days for the result to come out. If the patient had tested positive to EVD, I am sure yet another Isolation Centre would have been set-up in Kaduna. The question now is why do we have to wait until there is a confirmed case of EVD in a State before we establish an Isolation and treatment centre, when we know that the likes of SAWYER, KOYE and SAMUEL are abundant? Secondly, the first place an ill person goes to is the hospital, therefore, rather than just direct commercial vehicles not to convey sick persons and distorting school calendar, every hospitals should also be compelled to provide the basic infrastructure needed to screen patients for EVD before they are allowed to make contact with other patients, medical health workers and the general public. I’ll conclude thus; According to Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the most powerful tool against Ebola is basic medical care. (quote) The real area of focus... should be setting up medical infrastructure in the affected countries to provide sick people with basic medical support such as replacement fluids and blood. That will have a much bigger effect on health than a few batches of experimental medications,
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:33:57 +0000
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