It was on the 1st of October, 2014, that I learned
of the first reported case of Ebola in the United States of America. My instant
reaction was "how come?". That was until I read the news article
further. In that news article, it was revealed that Mr. Thomas Duncan (now
deceased) had travelled home to Liberia and back to the USA within the past
month. I then said to myself "well,
this is the USA. They will get it under control in no time, without seeking any
form of aid". I had no doubt whatsoever about that particular thought
until I heard that the USA were -at the time- looking to send a team to Nigeria
to study how Nigeria successfully got Ebola under control within 2 months, with
no more than 8 recorded deaths. At that point, I thought to myself that
something must have definitely gone wrong with the balance of the universe. But
why not? Imagine the United States of America seeking to learn from Nigeria.
What a moment. The same Nigeria where over 200 girls have been held in captivity
for over 6 months by the dreaded terrorist sect, Boko Haram? The same Nigeria
where the private jet of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria
got detained in South Africa for having on board an undeclared sum of $9.3m
said to be for the procurement of arms? The same Nigeria where the petroleum
regulatory body, NNPC, keeps getting implicated in gross mis-appropriation of
funds, with no one ever getting sacked or charged to court? The same Nigeria
where the President, on National Television, said there's nothing like
corruption, but simple petty-stealing in Nigeria? The list is endless. But what
is worthy of note is that amidst all the negative and corrupt (petty stealing)
practices going on in Nigeria, there exist some good that countries like the
USA are willing to learn from.
Being what we are as Nigerians, we are of course
ready to educate the USA, and other interested countries, on how we kicked
Ebola (not Polio) out of our country. But before we do, we would like to know
how far the USA are willing to go to put what we teach into practice. If they
are committed to observing our instructions to the last letter, then we have no
other thing to do than to educate. Okay then, here goes nothing.
First things first, now that Ebola is in the USA,
the Republicans (opposition) should raise their voice and call out the ruling
Democrats for shirking in their responsibility to successfully protect their
borders, which has led to the arrival of Ebola in God's own country. The Press
Secretary of the USA, director of the CDC, and all others who praised the USA's
capability to use ZMapp to deal with the Ebola virus if it ever finds its way
onto their shores, should be chastised for inviting EVD patients, through their
unguarded statements, to run down to the USA.
The next step is to saturate all available media
with sensitization information, indicating countless ways to prevent getting
infected with EVD. The information should be so much that it drives people into
a state of paranoia. You all should be scared to leave your homes, except
absolutely necessary. When you leave your homes, you should step out dressed in
long-sleeved clothes, to protect your skin from direct contact with another
person's. In public buses and trains, there should be no crowding or pushing.
Everyone should respect the next person's private space.
Handshakes and hugs
should be cut out. If you hear of a relative that is ill, don't go visiting
them until they've been tested. A list of delicacies should be struck out from
your regular menu. Such a list should contain apes, bats and bush rats. If your
affected Western and European countries don't eat such, then you all should
desist from eating frogs, toads and sushi. Whatever! Just do away with certain
delicacies. Nigeria did same.
Great attention has to be paid to the issue of
hygiene. For the USA and other affected European countries to successfully
defeat EVD, this particular instruction should be strictly adhered to. Bathe
with warm water and salt before 7:00hrs GMT on any date agreed upon Nationally.
This message should be broadcast via text messages, BBM, WhatsApp, Facebook and
Twitter. Some of you might find this particular instruction ridiculous and
outright outrageous, due to your level of enlightenment and academic achievements.
But hey! Most Nigerians did it (sadly enough, I didn't) and now W.H.O is about
to give us the ALL CLEAR.
I know hand sanitizers are not new to the everyday
lives of my western brothers. Well, they aren't new in Nigeria too, but EVD put
hand sanitizers in a whole new light. So get out your tubes and jars of the
perfumed disinfectant and use it generously on your hands, and other body parts
if you are so inclined. Do you have the urge to turn hand sanitizers into your
body cream? Then by all means, knock yourselves out. I know some of you are
already saying to yourselves that hand sanitizers kill germs and bacteria, not
viruses. You could either argue that -rightly for that matter- until thy
kingdom come, or strive to be free like Nigeria. The choice is yours.
Having said all these, we can't laugh off the
deadliness of the Ebola scourge. The death toll of over 3,000 people to the
disease in West Africa alone and the recent death of Duncan in the USA proves
how deadly it is. And the only way to seriously defeat it includes the
following:
- - Be more hygiene conscious
- - Avoid contact with people who have taken ill with EVD
- - Turn yourself over to the medical authorities as soon as you notice that you've come down with the symptoms.
- - Adhere to treatment procedures as directed by certified medical professionals.
- - Use toll free contact lines to report emergencies and suspected cases.
- - DO NOT PANIC. NEVER LOSE HOPE.
Do not hesitate to call on Nigeria when next you
need our assistance. Our lines are always available... depending on the
network.
CHEERS!!!
