SALT IS NOT VACCINE FOR EBOLA: IGNORANCE WILL BE OUR GREATEST UNDOING. Since yesterday night, I have been inundated with calls from many people about washing with salt to avoid Ebola infection. I understood this morning that youd have to also drink a little of it. Although I believe that many of those calls were more on the side of clarifications than care, it didnt appear as if I had convinced many that there is yet no vaccine for Ebola virus. Even if salt can act as a disinfectant, I dont see how bathing with salt before 6 am today would prevent someone from getting infected later. Or has Ebola become an airborne disease? I understand that the President has tasked the National Orientation Agency to educate Nigerians on measures to be taken to prevent Ebola. The agency should start serious radio and tv jingles immediately before the rumour gets out of hand. I am not oblivious of the fact the same message has been sent to almost all the people reading this. In addition, the State governments should through their ministries of information start information dissemination in local languages on what people should do. If they dont, the rumour mills will takeover and will be too bad for us. Some of those who have called me since yesterday have not called me in the last 6 months or thereabouts. General Hospitals and Teaching Hospitals should designate Ebola treatment centers. The University of Uyo Teaching Hospital has already done this. Others should follow. Every town should have a designated center where patients that show Ebola signs can go to avoid infecting relatives. Since Professor Maurice Iwu, the former INEC chairman came up with his medically unsubstantiated claim that bitter kola could provide antidotes for the Ebola virus, the price of the product has gone up by over 1,000% and its rising. Trust Igbo traders, hoarding and stockpiling are now the in thing. Luckily, two institutions, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have all refuted the claim by Maurice Iwu. In any case, Prof Iwu was still included on the Presidential panel set up to tackle Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. I hope he can prove his case there. As a medical professional, he knows better how and where scientific breakthroughs are published for peer reviews. Certainly pages of newspapers are not some of them. Yet like the fake salt vaccine, Nigerians fell for it. Information is power and the more we know the Ebola facts, the better for all of us. •Infection of Ebola is only possible through physical contact with an infected person or his bodily fluids like sweats, blood, vomits, faeces, urines, semen, breast milk etc. The virus is not airborne and infection cannot come by breathing contaminated air. • Improve personal hygiene habits. Wash hands with soap in clean (warm) water if you shook any person or touched things that other people have touched. Better stop shaking people. I stopped two days ago. Are these not simple? • Dont touch a very sick person with bare hands whether or not you seem to know what is wrong with him or her. Always do that with protective gloves, if you must and ensure that such materials are disinfected immediately. •Avoid complete contact with dead bodies wether or not you knew the cause of their death. Cultural burial practices of washing dead bodies by relatives should be suspended for now. Our dead relatives would understand. • Report to hospitals or your doctor or any health institution near you if you develop Ebola symptoms like fever, muscle pains, vomiting, diarrhea etc.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 06:17:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015