From North to South, East and West of Nigeria, the fear of the now dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has created serious tension and panic among residents who have taken different measures to avoid being infected by the deadly virus already spreading across the world with increasing mortality rate.
Across state capitals and major towns in Nigeria as well as the social media, no issue is more important now than Ebola and the different steps including the ridiculous being taken by Nigerians to avoid being caught in the web. The panicky measures have led to a high demand and high costs of not only sanitizers but salt which is the latest ‘therapy’ many residents of Lagos, where the virus has claimed two lives with six more on danger list, woke up yesterday to adopt. The salt therapy, which demands that one should mix salt with hot water to bathe and also prepare same solution to drink within minutes, went viral not only in Lagos but across the country where fear-stricken residents besieged stores to buy bags of salt to prepare the therapy.
Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of South East also became charged in the early hours of yesterday when news of the salt therapy filtered into the city as families scampered for the solution.
As a result, the price of salt has tremendously increased as residents trooped to the market in search of bags of salt in case it is scientifically proved to be the solution to the dreaded disease. Some traders and residents in the city were also seen putting on mouth guard and hand gloves apparently to prevent them from contracting the virus.
Most of them even refused to exchange pleasantries by handshake as they used to do before. A trader at the Ochanja market said they have made brisk business selling bags of salt since the rumour spread into the city, adding: “We are making it big time now because of the news that hot water mixed with salt prevents the spread of Ebola virus. I don’t care where the news came from but I know it must be a way God wanted to lift some people up.”
Some traders wearing hand gloves in the market refused to shake hands with each other while some of them jokingly refused to talk to people, only to remove the mouth guard each time a customer came into their shop.
The panic has, however, forced the Federal Government to ask Nigerians to disregard the rumour that bathing with hot water and salt cures the Ebola virus. The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, in a statement by his C hief Press Secretary, Joseph Mutah, debunked the speculation.
Maku said there was no cure yet for the Ebola virus and urged Nigerians to maintain maximum environmental and personal hygiene to guard against contracting the deadly disease.
In Ebonyi State, there was tension and panic everywhere yesterday following the rumour spread by text messages and phones calls on outbreak of Ebola virus in the state. Residents were directed to bathe with salty hot water as a preventive measure against the virus.
The text message, which was circulated around the state, urged people to use the salty hot water at 4 am to avoid the contraction of the deadly disease which has claimed many lives across the world especially in West Africa with Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea topping the chart.
But the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Sunday Nwangele denied any outbreak of Ebola virus in the state and urged people to disregard the text messages which he said emanated from mischievous elements who derive joy in causing confusion and panic.
He said that there is no suspected Ebola virus in the state and warned against misconception of symptoms of malaria fever, typhoid fever, cholera, meningitis, Hepatitis to be Ebola virus unless proved in a laboratory.
The official, who enjoined members of the public to restrict movement of people returning from any area of the infected countries, added that infected victim has a grace of two to 21 days or an average of five to eight days before manifesting its symptoms. He offered two help lines to members of the public in the South East region: 080331201782 and 07007777700 for contact in case of suspected Ebola patient. “Suspected cases of patients infected with the disease shall be sent to a virology centre in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Lagos State to be quarantined for expert medical attention”, he added.
In Calabar, fear has gripped residents over the presence of monkey breeding ranch within the metropolis. This has led to a protest by the Concerned Residents of Atekong Drive along Marian who live very close to the popular Drill Ranch that has served as tourism sites for several years.
Beside the protest, landlords within the Calabar metropolis are said to be threatening their tenants who refused to bathe with hot water mixed with salt with quit notice, accusing them of not taking pre-emptive measures against the spread of the disease.
Investigations by Saturday Sun revealed that some landlords within Calabar South have directed their tenants to either bathe with hot water mixed with salt to “forestall outbreak of Ebola Virus” or face ejection.
This development has led to massive rush for salt at Anantigha Beach market in Calabar South just as parents have adopted the therapy of bathing their children with the salt-water solution to avoid the wrath of their landlords.
Speaking with newsmen in Calabar yesterday, the concerned residents described the presence of the Drill Ranch close to their residential buildings as very dangerous and unsafe.
The spokesman of the group, Mr. Effiong Okon, said since the news of Ebola virus broke out, residents have been living in perpetual fear.
“These animals are not supposed to be living in the midst of human beings, especially when monkeys are known to be one of the vertebrate animals that transmit the Ebola virus disease. I appeal to the authorities to consider the health challenges posed by this ranch and relocate it to another place, ‘’ Okon said.
Also speaking, Miss Rose Akpan expressed fear over the ranch, saying that, it was very dangerous to the health of the people.
“We live in fear now, because nobody knows what to do with the presence of these animals here. This should be a challenge to the state government in view of the present Ebola challenge,” she said. She called on the state Ministry of Health to cause the owner of the ranch to relocate it as soon as possible to save the people.
Reacting, the Director of Epidemiology in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Sunny Omini, said the state was aware of the presence of the ranch.
“We are aware of the presence of the ranch but it is not in wild area; it is in the inclusive area, so the monkeys there are not as harmful as those in the wild areas. However, we are monitoring the situation. We have not received any report from our Disease Surveillance Notification Officers (DSNOs) on any possible outbreak of Ebola,” he said.
Speaking on the threat by the landlords, Mrs. Eno Akpan said: “My landlord woke us up in the early morning of Friday and directed all the tenants to ensure that everybody bathe with hot salt water to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Continuing, Mrs. Akpan, 45, with four children, said: “He didn’t only direct us, but insisted that anybody who disobeys the order will be given quit notice immediately as he does not want to lose anybody in the compound.”
One of the landlords, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I had to issue the directive to all my tenants because of the instructions from my pastor at midnight that I should ensure everybody in my compound bathe with the hot water mixed with salt.”
The landlord, 56, who resides in Mbukpa axis said: “I don’t want to catch the Ebola disease, thus the instruction or I will eject whoever fails to carry out my instruction.”
Even when he was told that the government had discountenanced such rumour of eating bitter kola and bathing with salty hot water, he retorted: “Is it the government that built my house? Please, I have given orders and they must obey it.”
The latest development is one out of the several reactions ever since the deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus hit Nigeria. The killer virus outbreak which began with just a handful of cases in Guinea in March has since grown to 909 confirmed cases and another 414 probable or suspected in that country, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organisation.
Nigerians got its own share of the killer virus when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American man, who came into the country to attend an ECOWAS conference, died of EVD. About a week later, a matron who was one of the primary contacts of late Sawyer also died of the virus while a female doctor and six others have tested positive. Others who had contact with Sawyer are currently under surveillance.
Many families in Sokoto State cut short their sleep to respond to the wide spread message advising Nigerians to take their bath with hot water mixed with salt in order to avoid the Ebola virus disease.
Our correspondent gathered that as early as 4am on Friday, people that received the message, especially through mobile text had started observing the procedure.
A resident, Mr. Olajide Mustapha told Saturday Sun that the message kept him and his family awake all night as they were trying to reach out to other relatives and neighbours. “We observed the procedures of the message and we believed that it would prevent this deadly disease called, Ebola”, he prayed
Another resident, Malam Jubril Yabo said, though he had carried out the instruction because of the way it was circulated, he added that many of his friends kept on inundating him with the message, so, he yielded to their pressures.
Meanwhile, the state government has said its Committee on Epidemic Preparedness and Response has devised strategies to prevent spread of the Ebola virus in the state.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Buhari Bello Kware, said yesterday that the WHO, UNICEF, Medicines’ Sans Frontiers and relevant stakeholders attended a meeting where the strategies were mapped out.
“We have strategized, quantified what we need in terms of apparatus and other requirements,” he said.
Fears and apprehension gripped residents of Yola , the Adamawa State capital yesterday over the alleged presence of Ebola virus in the town and in the early hours based on message that went round that warm water salt solution with bitter Kola was the antidote to Ebola, many observed and bathed warm water salt solution.
But in a swift reaction, the new Commissioner for Health in the state, Honourable Felix Tangwami debunked the notion that salt water and intake of it can check Ebola.
The minister declared that it was a rumour that four people died form Ebola.
He disclosed that there was no reported case of Ebola outbreak anywhere in the state and urged the people to be calm as government is doing everything possible to ensure that the virus does not infiltrate the state.
“The rumour that four people have died of the disease is a mere speculation as no case was reported anywhere.
“Anyone with little knowledge of the disease will know that it cannot strike and kill people within 24 hours.
“The disease has an incubation period between when it attacks and when symptoms will be visible so the issue of the scare is unfounded,” he added.
The health commissioner assured the people of the state that in order to prevent any eventuality, the government has trained and deployed 50 medical experts to all the 21 local governments of the state where special centres have been created to attend to victims of the disease.
Every man for himself
Before, Nigerians were their brothers- keepers and always eager to come to the assistance of anyone in trouble, whether sick in commercial buses or at bus stops, but those good old days are over following the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Lagos.
With this, many Lagos residents see the next person as a likely carrier considering the manner two victims have died in the state.
Samson, who spoke to Saturday Sun on the Ebola scare, said in the past he had cause to help people who out of fatigue or were sick slumped at bus stops or others who developed sickness while in commercial buses.
According to him, he can no more do that because it is possible such people may have symptoms of Ebola the dreaded disease now in Lagos.
Speaking further, he said, even if his next door neigbhour is very sick he may not likely offer any assistance as he might be a potential Ebola patient.
Idris has a digital colour separation laboratory in Mushin. The office is a beehive of commercial activities as printers from different parts of Lagos and even beyond go there for printing solutions. When asked what he would do if a person that has symptoms of Ebola comes to his office.
“Do mean if somebody who has Ebola or the symptoms walked into this my office? Then that is the end of the business as I would not come back here or touch anything here”, he responded.
According to him, it is better to be alive and rebuild whatever one has lost instead of dying within a short time and still lose everything.
“That is the situation in Lagos. Fear has gripped residents over Ebola virus that has claimed lives of some people while others are living dead”, he added.
Expressing the same fear, Emeka Ibezim said if he were out and hears that his neighbour has Ebola virus, “that would be my last for the compound. I won’t return there anymore because I’m not yet ready to die anyhow.”
Economic implication
One of the precautionary measures recommended by medical experts is the frequent washing of hands and maintaining personal hygiene. As expected, there has been a high demand for sanitizers even as the prices have gone up in most shops. At Shoprite, Ikeja, there was mad rush for sanitizers and with many shops already out of stock.
A pharmacist along Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Blessed Adeyemi confirmed that the demand for sanitizers is on the increase. “No one should blame us for increasing the price; the suppliers are no longer selling sanitizers to us at a normal price. In fact, because there was no much demand in the past, they produce or import in a smaller quantity. The scarcity is not deliberate, the next one week; these things would be in excess as many marketers have ordered for lorry loads of sanitizers and antiseptic.”
Also, the demand for bitter kola has doubled, with reports credited to former INEC boss, Prof Maurice Iwu, saying that bitter Kola is an antidote to Ebola. The quantity of bitter kola sold for N100 about three weeks ago is now sold for N200 and above. “This is our best season ever since I started this business. In the past one week, I have sold three baskets of bitter kola. All praise to Allah”, a trader in Lagos Island responded.
For operators of bars and restaurants, the reverse is the case for them. Mr Chinweoke Mbah, who runs a popular restaurant in Agege, lamented that his number of customers has reduced. “I am aware of Ebola and have taken all the precautionary measures needed to guarantee my customer that my food is safe. If you will visit my shop, I have several bottles of sanitizers and antiseptics. It’s just that the Nigerian factor will come to bare. I pray that God will bring an end to this outbreak, if not some of us will be out of business. I left banking job and opened this restaurant for the past four years. May God help us.”
Some sex workers also complained of a sharp drop in their patronage. Reacting to the outbreak, a sex worker in Ikeja axis, simply known as Christy, said: “It is rather unfortunate and I pray that almighty God will come to our rescue. Ever since they announced that 59 persons are under surveillance, it appears that we are the ones. I have made up my mind to learn another trade pending when the problem will be over. It is even risky for anyone to continue in this line of business since condom cannot prevent it.”
Another sex worker, Lizzy said that she is not moved as it is a mere rumour. “I am not scared and I can tell you that my customers still visit. I have survived for six years in this profession and have not contracted HIV. I guess my luck will see me through.”
Pastors defiant
As part of measures to contain the spread of EVD, both federal and Lagos State governments have appealed to religious organisations including churches and mosques to step down on congregational activities that will bring a large number of worshippers together. As a result, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye immediately banned delegates from EVD- affected West African nations from attending the ongoing convention of the church. He reportedly expressed regret over the decision to bar members of the Church in the affected nations but prayed that God would soon arrest the situation.
The development did not go down well with some clerics who described it as an attempt to question the efficacy of the Holy Koran and Bible.
This has equally led officials of Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Federal Government to visit the General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Joshua, seeking his cooperation in ensuring Ebola victims are not brought to his church for healing.
Saturday Sun went to town to gather reactions of church leaders on efforts to ensure the virus does not spread among members in fully packed church gatherings. Registering his opinion, Reverend Shedrack Okwuagwu, senior pastor of Christ Abiding Ministries, Mafoluku, Lagos, believes that men of God should not fret over the development. He argued that the church has never wavered and Ebola should not cause panic among Christians to the point of shunning gathering in churches. “It would be an abomination to ask church not to gather because of a disease. Anybody raising that suggestion could be doing so out of ignorance. The Bible mandates us to go in to the world to preach and pray for those in any kind of bondage. So, I see no reason we Christians should run away from Ebola victims, rather we should pray for them knowing full well that God has empowered us with his anointing.”
Another clergy concurred. “From time immemorial, our world has been bedeviled with one scourge or another. The call that church gatherings should stop because of the virus is unnecessary. We should rather switch our focus to places like public transports, markets and social gatherings like parties and burial ceremonies. These places are more vulnerable for the spread of the virus. What we need in this case is for God to intervene, hence it is needful that Christians gather,” says Jonathan Nwankwo, leader, Teaching Ministry, Amen Community.
Also, a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church who asked for anonymity stated that although the awareness of the deadly Ebola pandemic is high among parishioners, there are no immediate plans being made to stop church members’ gatherings.
Again, a Mushin-based church leader that does not want his name or church mentioned believes that Ebola could be another way for God to test man’s faith in Him. “I think this is the period for Christians to test their faith. One of our greatest weapons against Ebola is faith and fear is the enemy of faith. Don’t join unbelievers to spread fear and panic. Fear creates room for the devil to operate. So, I am totally against the call to stop religious gatherings just because of another common disease like Ebola,” he said.
However, for Demola Oni a member of Winning Faith Church, Idi-oro, Mushin, the government should be applauded for the move as he called on religious bodies to welcome the measure and join the fight against the spread of the virus. He argued that because of the vulnerable nature of Nigerians towards religion, many fake pastors could come up with claims of a miracle cure just to attract members.
“Religious leaders should see reason on this. People from other west African states might slip into the country to come to the church believing that they will be healed here and the church might harbour them. This could cause further spread of the virus. Ebola is no child’s play.”
World reactions
The World Bank has pledged $200 million to contain the spread of Ebola in West Africa. The amount would also help communities affected by the epidemic cope with the economic impact of the crisis, and improve public health systems throughout the sub-region.
A statement from the bank said that with the latest death toll from the West African sub-region now at 887, the emergency funding would help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone reduce the spread of the disease.
It quoted the World Bank Group President, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, a medical doctor experienced in treatment of infectious diseases, to have said the new financing commitment was in response to a call from the three African countries hardest-hit by Ebola and the World Health Organisation for immediate assistance to contain the outbreak.
He said the bank would also step up social safety net assistance for affected communities and families and helps to build up public health systems in West Africa to strengthen the region’s disease control capacity more generally.
The World Bank boss in the statement said he would brief the bank’s Board of Executive Directors as soon as possible on the latest state of the epidemic and seek their approval for the new emergency package.
What authorities have done
After the news of the arrival of an Ebola carrier, late Sawyer in the country, the Federal Government in conjunction with state ministries of health has been working round the clock to contain the spread of the virus. Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has described the outbreak in the country as a national emergency. Chukwu also stated that government is embarking on recruiting additional health personnel to strengthen the team who are currently managing the situation. He said that there were plans to procure relevant equipment for management of Ebola patients.
Government is also setting up a special team to provide counselling and psychological support to patients, identified contacts and their families.
Also, Dr Hope Nwawolo, LUTH spokesperson said that measures have been put in place to curb the spread of the virus. According to Dr Nwawolo, the hospital has put together an Ebola management team and is carrying out massive sensitization campaign for the public and for health workers. “We are not resting at all. We have put together a team of seasoned and experienced health workers to attend to Ebola victims, and the team is undergoing training and working assiduously to checkmate the virus. Also, the management of LUTH has embarked on further training of all their staff not only health workers but also security men and cleaners on what to do when they come across cases of Ebola.”
In the same manner, governors of South West states met in Lagos this week and agreed that they need a collective effort to tackle the scourge just as they appealed to Nigerians Medical Association (NMA) to call off its 35-day-old strike. The governors all agreed on the need to tighten the borders. They also confirmed that the medical team constituted will keep a tab on drugs alleged to have been produced in USA. “We have heard that there is a drug that is currently being applied to the doctor who was taken from Liberia to Emory University Hospital in the USA. But this drug is still on trial, even the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has not certified this drug for use yet. If what the Federal Government is trying to do is to be one of the centres to test the efficacy of the drug, I think that is commendable and we should encourage the Federal Government,” Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi reportedly said at the meeting.
The Nigeria Police Force has also stated its readiness to prevent any possible outbreak among its officers or suspects in their detention facilities.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mbah who spoke to Saturday Sun on phone said that the police medical department had already commenced a sensitization programme aimed at educating police officers on the mode of spread and basic information on Ebola virus.
“The police command believes strongly that the best way is to understand the myth surrounding the spread of the disease. We are paying special attention to our personnel serving at the ports i.e. the seaports, land ports and airports. The second aspect is that our crime scene personnel are also being sensitized so that when they arrive any scene of crime, they will be able to assess the situation properly without exposing themselves to a possible infection.
“For our personnel on peacekeeping mission, we are equally in touch with them. The good thing is that our people on peacekeeping mission are under the umbrella of the UN and UN has got a well organised medical programme in terms of medical advice.
“If any of our personnel is returning from peacekeeping today, we will make them to go through the Ebola screening. We are not leaving things to chances.”
On whether they are equipped for emergencies, Mbah said: “The police medical departments have very strong connection with other medical departments. We are part of Federal Government health facilities, so as Federal Government is giving out these equipment, the department will be included. Nobody is being left aside by the Federal Government.”
On their preparedness for possible outbreak of Ebola among inmates, Ope Fatinikun, Nigerian Prisons Service Public Relations Officer also told Saturday Sun on phone that the department has since begun sensitization of its personnel. “We are also working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health. The comptroller has directed that our doctors and nurses to be on red alert. We also have heath workers and Federal Ministry of Health has since sent its team to educate everybody including inmates on the possible outbreak of Ebola in any of the prisons across the country. We are prepared even as we pray that God will protect us from such a disaster,” Fatinikun stated.
Doctors, nurses, others react
Although government has made promises to all health workers on its resolve to ensure that all the gadgets needed to protect them are made available, most health workers who spoke with Saturday Sunare not convinced. This may explain why NMA is yet to call off its 35-day-old strike.
Dr Charles Odionye, Head Client Services of iWell Health Consulting, attributed the disposition of health workers to the lack of sophisticated equipment to battle the virus, saying that without good kits, doctors and nurses would not get involved in managing victims of Ebola.
“Government should isolate more areas and spread out the sophiscated equipment to more hospitals in other areas rather than just keeping it in a particular location. Medical practitioners are human beings too, and I am sure we are not ready to die. Until we get these equipment spread across the country, a lot more health workers will not move close to people that have been identified to have this Ebola Virus.”
Dr Odionye advised Nigerians to adopt all necessary preventive measures to avoid being infected with the deadly virus. Some of the measures include avoiding contact with bodily fluids like saliva, semen, virginal secretion, sweats, vomiting and tears.
“Nigerians should avoid eating bush meat and suya at least for now and endeavour to wash their hands as frequently at possible. Also, avoid unnecessary contacts like handshaking, kissing and hugging. Again, washing clothes with bleach would be of immense benefit too,” he suggested.
A nurse, Kelechi Mbah regretted that adequate publicity was not initially given in all the West African countries. “I don’t think government has done enough to curtail the spread. It has been in the news how Ebola has been ravaging other countries but our government was busy playing politics. I believe the minister of health has failed in this regard. Our leaders chose the reactionary approach which is very sad.”
Also, the Medical Director of Belinda Hospital, Dr Jonathan Uwaoma, said that as a check against Ebola, he has bought protective garments for his nurses and other workers in his hospital. Also, he said he has installed water taps at the gate of his hospital with sanitizers for any person coming into the hospital whether patient or visitor, adding that if anybody that is seriously ill would be referred to general hospitals or call the emergency lines.
When Saturday Sun visited R-Jolad hospital, Bariga, the ever busy environment had also taken precautionary measures to tackle any emergency that might arise. On the readiness of the hospital, Abimbola Odusan, facility educator, told our correspondent that the hospital has put in place all the necessary gadgets. “If you had observed, every health worker is on gloves and there are nose masks readily available for emergency cases. Ever since the news of the outbreak broke, we have attended several meetings and I must sincerely tell you that Lagos State government is doing everything within its power to sensitize the people.”
She lamented that the only obstacle is the fact that there are not enough gadgets to go around. “They are talking about importing equipment which should have been on ground in case of such emergencies. The worst of all is you can hardly get sanitizers anywhere around. It is either that it is out of reach, or not available at all.”
Another doctor, Dr Sunny Olaniyi, medical director, City of Hope Hospital Lagos said: “If we don’t educate our people well enough on how the virus can be transmitted it will become more dangerous. I am aware that the preliminary source of the virus in Nigeria has died and been quarantined. I think containment is the watchword, so that it does not spread.”
He also said that the salt and hot water therapy is a cooked up story that has not been scientifically proved because Ebola has no cure. “Nigerians should prevent Ebola with regular hand washing in running water not stagnant water and two persons should not use the same water to wash hand. People should be vigilant in their neighbourhood and ensure environmental and community hygiene. They should wash their hands after shaking hands with people if they must.”
Also, Dr Gbolahan, Medical Director of Igbologun Medical Centre, Snake Island, Lagos said that although he has not seen any Ebola victim in his hospital, everyone including his staff are terrified at the thought of having an Ebola patient. “People should be vigilant and conscious of their health condition. Government should apply preventive measures to ensure that the virus does not spread,” he advised.
The Sun