The resurgence of Ebola in Liberia has raised the fear that the deadly disease may find its way back to Nigeria, write WALE ADEPOJU and FARUK HAMZAT.
There are fears that the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) could recur in the country, following its resurgence in Liberia whose national, the late Patrick Sawyer, was the first index case here last year. The fears are real because the level of precaution is waning. Many people no longer practise hand washing, even in schools and other public places. Sanitiser canisters are no longer refilled at entrances of public utilities and halls. The ports- land, sea and air- are no longer screening for EVD. The resurgence of the dreaded disease in Liberia underscores the need for tightening of security and proper scrutiny at ports and borders.
At the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, passengers are being checked in with hand-held temperature monitor devices by officials, but sanitiser canisters have disappeared. Most port officials no longer wear hand gloves.
Nigeria was certified Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on October 20 last year. The disease was brought into the country on July 20, last year, by Sawyer, who died in Nigeria five days after he landed. No fewer, than 19 persons were infected. Seven died.
An expert, Dr Ngozi Murphy-Okpala, said EVD was still a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and, as such, Nigeria should beware. “Nigeria has been declared an Ebola-free country by the WHO. Although, Nigeria is safe today, but we must understand that this safety is only relative because EVD is highly communicable,” Murphy-Okpala said.
Dr Murphy-Okpala, who is the Director, Health and Life Africa Healthy-living Initiative (HALA), said the disease is now more complicated with its recurrence in Liberia after the World Health Organisation (WHO) had placed the country on vigilance after declaring it Ebola-Free on May 9, this year.
Liberia, she said, is midway into the 90-day vigilance period set up as a preventive measure to test EVD-like feverish illnesses and do post-mortem swab for EVD.
“The other two most severely affected countries so far have been its neighbouring countries of Guinea and Sierra Leone because they share land borders,” she said
Nigeria, she said, got its own share of EVD via air travel the same way the disease got to the United States (US).
She said it took the nation a combination of effort and courage for the disease to be tackled, adding that the country’s intensified unity made it possible for it to be contained. “Preventive measures, especially in the area of hand washing and use of sanitisers were vital in containing EVD. Some companies and schools even used temperature monitors when the rage was on, we should all still be on guard, again,” she added.
Personal hygiene, she said, is poor in Nigeria unlike many other developing countries where hand washing is paramount.
This, she said, explains why preventable diseases are turning to highly infectious ones. She added: “An example is diarrhoea, which is directly caused by using unsafe water and poor sanitation.”
She identified hygiene as the number one challenge.
According to her, hygiene as a matter of fact should be people’s lifestyle. “Therefore, it is deeply interwoven with the people, educational level and culture. Others are basic health illiteracy and lack of awareness among the public. They all constitute the primary underlying factors here,” she said.
Dr Murphy-Okpala urged Nigerians not to ignore the hand-washing habit because Nigeria is EVD free, but increase its tempo.
“I am not aware of any specific research that has been conducted to prove that the rate of hand washing has reduced. It is important to take into consideration that a percentage of people, who developed hand-washing as a new habit, may have retained the behavior. But I noticed that not too many people move with sanitisers again, unlike when EVD was on,” she noted.
She charged the Federal Government to improve on safety at the nation’s airports and allocate more equipment to them in order to advance EVD screening.
She said: “Maximising the media with effective behavioural health information was one of our strongest points last year and containing Ebola in Nigeria was a milestone indeed.”
She said presently, there is no known cure, drug, or vaccine for EVD.
Ebola’s treatment, she said, is purely supportive. “It is to alleviate the symptoms of fever and loss of body fluids,” she said.
The focus, according to her, should be on prevention, which is better than cure, adding that, it is expensive and difficult to achieve.
Her tips on prevention include avoiding funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who died from the disease, avoid touching items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood, urine, vomit, breast milk, semen, and body fluids in any form.
“Avoid contact with bats too and finally, practice careful hygiene of hand-washing with soap and water and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser,” she said.
Her advice to healthcare givers: “In addition to engaging in ideal infection control and sterilisation measures, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and timely notifications of the appropriate health officials of any suspected case of EVD is important.”
According to her, there should always be a swift response with health education, adding that Ports Health is of uttermost importance with regards to EVD.
“Ultimately, a holistic approach to improving our healthcare systems is imperative. However, I do not think the government alone is responsible for fixing all our healthcare challenges, but I expect well-thought out policies that clearly articulate a blueprint for a way forward.
“There are several indigenous and international non-profits working in the healthcare sector. These can be harnessed rather than every new government attempting to create a new set of programmes with every new administration,” Dr Murphy-Okpala said.
