Okechukwu, surname withheld is a young man who lives in a public house of about ten rooms in Owerri, Imo State Capital. Though still a bachelor, Okechukwu has neighbours who have families comprising children and relations residing in the compound.
An unusual scenario occurred in the compound located in the heart of Owerri, the Imo State Capital last week. In the wee hours of Friday, Okey for short pronunciation had his sleep severely disturbed by the neighbours who engaged in early morning wrangling over whose turn it is to bath in public shower room of the expansive compound. In the ensuring melee over who gains entrance into the single bathroom, two women exchanged blows while those who could not wait and not thrilled by the show of shame had to take their bath in nearby open space without minding that prying eyes may feed on their nude body contours.
According to Okechukwu who is a trader in one of the markets in Owerri, at about 3.30am, members of his compound started trouping out en masse for the single bathroom space. Since it was not Sunday morning, Okechukwu was somehow disturbed what could be amiss to warrant skirmishes over bathroom. A certain woman in the compound according to the youngman’s account forcibly woke her children from sleep and attempts by the kids to resist morning shower saw them get punches from their mother. Within split seconds, confusion enveloped the compound forcing Okechukwu to wake up from sleep. While still observing the boisterous scene from a vintage position inside his room, one of his neighbours who may have noticed his absence from the drama came knocking on his door.
The neighbour asked Okechukwu if nobody has alarmed him of the disease of the moment called “Ebola” that is said to be “airborne”. The woman informed Okechukwu that report filtered in that people should bath with salt water as well as drink water mixed with salt to prevent the most dreaded and killer disease. Okechukwu was asked if he has not received calls from loved ones in intimating him about the said measures to checkmate the rampaging disease. Okechukwu offered that he had “low battery” and therefore cannot receive calls. The confusion outside intensified when Okechukwu stepped out. Apart from women bathing in open spaces the common word told to anybody who enters the toilet was “bath quick, bath quick”.
Same scenario was witnessed in another public compound in Obinze near Owerri where the landlord who also an inmate was moving door-to-door informing tenants of the “new found” preventive cure for Ebola. What surprised residents of the Obinze house was how one of the inmates for the first time in the compound took bath early in the morning. The fellow is involved in certain mechanical jobs and leaves to work early after brushing his teeth. However, the calls he received and intervention of the landlord saw him change pattern and join the band wagon for salt bath.
After observing the salt ritual, the said man went to his shop but was accosted by his colleagues who pointed out that his Ebola preventive cure ritual was defective since he did not bath the salt with hot water. It surprised his neighbours when the workman rushed back to boil water and observed another bath, this time hot water mixed with the salt.
There will be no space to accommodate different tales associated with the rumoured “salt bath” against Ebola disease, as stories are abound on how people practiced the exercise.
One disturbing question is how the unconfirmed preventive cure emanated? The inventor and source that made it go viral on social media and spread like wildfire across the country as well as its efficacy
Reports have it that several persons are already suffering degrees of illness arising from excess consumption of salt and bathing the acidic substance on that fateful day. From the mass hysteria that characterized the spread of the rumour, news have it in Jos, Plateau State, that not less than 22 persons were admitted in hospital and two so far have died as a result of complications arising from the over consumption of salt due to confirm to the yet to be confirmed preventive ritual. Those suffering from hypertension had their case worsened while other suffered spontaneous skin-related damages because of the devastating effect of the salt. It would be recalled that before salt issue, bitter kola was said to be a probable antidote to the disease, thereby leading to increase in cost of the item known as Agba ilu in Igboland. Under the salt arrangement, other items like kerosene, oil and pepper were also sent across as possible cure for the disease.
Now, what is Ebola? The rampaging disease is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by a filovirus (Ebola virus) whose normal host specie is unknown. According to details, upon research of the disease that has attracted global attention recently, the virus maybe acquired upon contact with blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal (commonly monkeys or fruit bats). Spreading the disease through the air as rumoured in the so called “airborne” method that warranted the “salt drinking and bathing has not been documented in the natural environment and there is no known scientific mechanism to prove that yet. Fruit bats are believed to carry and spread the virus without being affected. Once human infection occurs, the disease may spread between people as well.
Male survivors, the research further stated, may be able to transmit the disease via sermen for nearly two months.
In order to make the diagnosis, typically, other diseases with similar symptoms such as malaria, cholera and other viral heamorgraphic fevers are first excluded. To confirm the diagnosis, blood samples are tasted for viral anti bodies viral RNA or the viral itself.
According to details obtained from Wikipedia, prevention includes decreasing the spread of disease from infected monkey and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking such animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may also be helpful, as well as wearing protective clothing and washing hands when around a person with the disease.
Going memory lane, Ebola was first identified in Sudan and DR Congo. The disease typically occurs in outbreaks in tropical regions of sub Saharan from 1976, when it was discovered through 2013, no fewer than 1,000 people per year have been infected. The largest outbreak to date is the ongoing 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak which is affecting Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. As of early August 2014, official report has it that more than 1750 suspected cases have been reported with more at the risk of getting the disease because of unchecked measures.
However, efforts are on by the World Health Organization WHO, relevant medical bodies and the international communities to develop a probable vaccine, however, none exists yet and the “salt” solution including the bitter kola that went viral last week may be the unapproved local solution.
Previously, the Ebola disease was domiciled in the affected countries excluding Nigeria until one carrier and a Liberian, Nigerians hate to hear, named Patrick Sawyer imported the dreaded killer disease into Nigeria. The Liberian-born American Sawyer arrived Lagos on July 20 from Lome but died five days after he was admitted into a hospital at Obalende part of Lagos when he showed Ebola virus symptoms.
The deceased sojourner from Liberia was said to have came into contact with 59 people in both the Murtala Mohammed International, Airport Lagos and the hospital. President Jonathan was forced to make an outburst condemning Sawyer, action for entering Nigeria with the infectious disease. A frightened Nigeria health officials have quarantined about eight of the hospital contacts at the Diseases Hospital in Yaba, Lagos. One of them, a matron who served as a nurse to the deceased Sawyer has died making the first Nigerian casualty of the Ebola and entering Nigeria’s name in the Ebola carrier countries.
Five others including a female medical doctor, as at last week Wednesday tested positive to the virus. While another nurse has been reported dead, a Nigerian staff of the ECOWAS commission, Lagos liason office, was confirmed dead on Tuesday, making the total number of Nigerian deaths to three. The late ECOWAS staff, Jalto Asihu Abdulquador, 36, was a Protocol Assistant who was said to have assisted the Liberian Sawyer in time of need and sickness when he entered Lagos.
The Liberian government who had apologized to Nigeria for Sawyer’s misadventure in Nigeria through President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson revealed that the Ebola disease importer to Nigeria was under surveillance in Liberia but sneaked out of the country after ignoring medical advise.
The recent “salt taking and preventive” approach to Ebola in Nigeria could have been a devised means when there are no known and scientifically available medicines to cure the spiral killer. The salt cure also appeared on the scene when hopes that the United Stated may send Zmapp, the experimented drug for Ebola virus treatment to Nigeria appear dashed going by US President, President Barrack Obama’s declaration that it was too early for West African countries hit by the outbreak to have it. Obama made the US position public while speaking at a press conference at the end of an African summit held last week in America. This position of no end in sight for a cure is corroborated by what the Health Minister Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu told concerned reporters in Abuja last Thursday that Nigeria is yet to receive a feedback from the US Centre for Disease Control, after writing to the agency requesting for the said Zmapp.
The outbreak is however causing uneasy calm in the continent and likely to strain diplomatic relationship among African countries. While Nigeria is turbo-charged to handle cases arising from the Ebola outbreak, neighbours like Cameroun are threating to close borders to avoid spread to the country, since nearby Nigeria has become the fourth West Africa country involved in the outbreak.
President Jonathan has declared the Ebola disease a “national emergency, and approved more than 11 million dollars to help contain the outbreak, warning that caution be applied to avoid unapproved cure like “salt bathing and drinking, including Agbilu medication.
However, another dimension was added to the salt issue. A concerned professional in the health sector while in a discussion with me adduced reasons why he joined many to perform the salt therapy. According to him, since there is no known drug to cure the Ebola disease, the salt approach may have been divinely manufactured by God to cure his people of the ailment. I reminded my medical doctor friend the difference between science and spiritually adding that as a Christian, there are Biblical injunctions that separates spirituality from make belief and empirical evidences of science. I reminded him that God can cure any aliment because Philippians 4:13 states “I can do all things through Christ which strengthtnet me” John 3”1 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” Ephesians 6:12 “for we are not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
The mass hysteria raised by the mad rush for salt bath and intake as cure for the “airborne” Ebola disease furthermore, challenged our faith as Christians who seem not to be ready for death. Christians have easily forgotten that it is said in Roman 6”23 of the Holy Bible that “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Chris Jesus of our Lord. Revelation 21:4 also says that “he will wipe away every tears from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” as well as the regular biblical teaching that “for God loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In the absence of a known medicare to check the scourge of the disease, lets put our faith in God hoping for an
