by
Eze Eluchie
Whilst
we busied ourselves and worried over mundane issues, a silent killer crept into
the West African sub-region with most devastating effects. The most lethal
strain of the Ebola virus ever encountered by man has recently touched base
with the West African sub-region.
From Guinea, where hundreds of fatalities have already been recorded, the virus has for the first time in recorded history, crossed national borders and has impacted on Liberia and Sierra Leone. In a knee-jerk reaction, Senegal hurriedly closed its borders with Guinea (despite the fact that national borders in the sub-region are dysfunctional, being more virtual than real). Deaths from the Ebola Virus have now been recorded in Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana.
Will Ebola touch base with Nigeria and spill across the West African sub-region? Certainly! Presuming it has not already done so. It will be difficult to actually know when, as we still have 'Death by natural causes' as one of the options our pathologists write as 'cause of death' on Death Certificates in countries across the region.
What collaborative international efforts are being done presently by our public health authorities to prepare for this eventuality and curtail the spreading epidemic? Nothing. And absolutely nothing! The failure by West African countries to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) with regards to the raging Ebola virus which is decimating populations across the sub-region is one omission that will lead to severe consequences. Under International Health Law protocols and World Health Organization regulations, a declaration of a PHEIC will automatically set into motion a plethora of international processes that will serve to stem an already bad situation.
From Guinea, where hundreds of fatalities have already been recorded, the virus has for the first time in recorded history, crossed national borders and has impacted on Liberia and Sierra Leone. In a knee-jerk reaction, Senegal hurriedly closed its borders with Guinea (despite the fact that national borders in the sub-region are dysfunctional, being more virtual than real). Deaths from the Ebola Virus have now been recorded in Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana.
Will Ebola touch base with Nigeria and spill across the West African sub-region? Certainly! Presuming it has not already done so. It will be difficult to actually know when, as we still have 'Death by natural causes' as one of the options our pathologists write as 'cause of death' on Death Certificates in countries across the region.
What collaborative international efforts are being done presently by our public health authorities to prepare for this eventuality and curtail the spreading epidemic? Nothing. And absolutely nothing! The failure by West African countries to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) with regards to the raging Ebola virus which is decimating populations across the sub-region is one omission that will lead to severe consequences. Under International Health Law protocols and World Health Organization regulations, a declaration of a PHEIC will automatically set into motion a plethora of international processes that will serve to stem an already bad situation.
Clearly, the current
outbreak of the Ebola virus overwhelms the public health infrastructure in the
West African sub-region. Twin cultural practices in the sub-region: 1).
popularity of ‘bush meats’ as a delicacy and 2). Exuberant funeral celebrations which at times involve
close contact with corpses; unfortunately provides a most conducive environment
for the spread of the Ebola virus across the sub-region.
Is there a potential for
this outbreak of the Ebola virus to spread beyond the sub-region and perhaps go
global? Surely! There is need for greater global interest in the Ebola virus
epidemic ravaging the West African region.
Picture: Ebola virus
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