It’s funny how
Nigerians can complicate things. Just yesterday a friend reminded me that the
fear of Ebola is the beginning of wisdom- I guess Ebola is now the Almighty in
town. Hmmm wonders shall never end in this beloved country of ours. All over
the world of social media u see all sorts of conversation between Ebola and
AIDs. Enough to make one pee in and laugh out loud…. Lol
Just recently we now
have all sorts of local preparations and remedies for this dreaded disease that
has taken a tour on our beloved West Africa countries. I have to admit it all
sound so "mumucious" that I came up with a remedy myself- a local concoction such
of- just for the fun of it. I am not disproving any of these local remedies. We
are all entitled to our own belief system.
I belief the
national fear placed on Ebola is outrageous. It’s terrible that people in
authority who are supposed to enlighten the populace are not helping matter. I
belief information is power and as such the people should be given the power so
we can all put hands together to contain this virus sweeping across our
continent. Remember the Good Book tells us that “my people perish from lack of
knowledge”.
We go about shouting
Ebola! Ebola!! Ebola!!! displaying all sort of "mumubolaric attitudes". enough of all these tautologies and redundant words. Do we even know the source of Ebola? do we even know its origin?
Do we even know why it’s called Ebola virus and not any other name? How it’s
being transmitted and its fatality rate? What about its history? Because everything
must have one history or the other don’t you think? Ebola is 100 percent
preventable and can easily be contained.
Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola
hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is the human disease caused by the Ebola virus.
Symptoms typically start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus,
with a fever,
sore throat, muscle pain,
and headaches.
Typically nausea,
vomiting, and diarrhea
follow, along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. At
this point, some people begin to have bleeding
problems
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in
Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a
village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name
The virus may be acquired upon contact with blood or bodily fluids
of an infected animal (commonly monkeys or fruit bats).
Spread through the air has not been
documented in the natural environment. Fruit bats are believed to
carry and spread the virus without being affected. Once human infection occurs,
Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with
infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous
membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of
infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such
fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body
of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men
who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their
semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness. According to the WHO
people have actually recovered from the disease.
It is my intention to help break the myth of Ebola virus and
I believe this piece should help put your mind at rest. There is no need to
panic. In my next piece I will talk about the ways Ebola can be handled and I will
give facts how central Africa countries have contained it for almost 38 years. We just have to open our eyes and see. Remember
fear makes Ebola appear bigger than it is. Have a great weekend ahead.
wyndy
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