Talking about Ebola control and prevention within the cities in Africa, I get worried and thought about it and I asked myself is this possible? And I answered myself back that it’s impossible due to rate of poverty after reading from cdebolafacts.com this is my worries.
How and why? I write as below.
- Over Population
I remembered how I grew up the urban communities, where a house build on a plot or half plot of land rather carries numbers of rooms from ten to twenty rooms plus, different families with at least two bachelors in the house and the rest families with three kids minimum and six in some cases in a room plus the father and mother, on a street this type of houses are mostly 97% built, tell me if a person contact a Ebola in such Building, what is the chances of it not spreading round that community within one week?
No matter how worst one’s family member gets sick and down, the loved ones will still get close to them, if Ebola can be contracted by hand shake and staying under the same roof with such patient as the news in spreading round town, then before the patient is reported to the hospital the family members and neighbors will be infected.
Our General Hospitals: When last did you visit one? The population on a morning queue only is not funny, if an Ebola patient who doesn’t know the nature of his/her illness is on that queue and sharing taught and words with someone next to him/her on that queue which commonly happen when you are in such public queue after hand shake and close sitting next to people on those long chairs and you didn’t think of washing your hands, what’s the chances of not getting infected? Or in a case whereby an unknown Ebola patient fell down on that queue or in a public place and you rushed to pick or check on him/her well being, because there are still good Samaritans in Nigeria and that person sweat robbed your palm or part of your body, what’s the chances of that Good Samaritan not getting infected?
- SHARING
I also remembered very well in the urban communities when our fathers in the compound sit together in the compound to do a brief tenant and landlord meeting and if they have good friendship relationship in such compound there’s always a green bottle with gin or some kind of herbal drink whereby those who drink alcohols will share shots with one small cup all in the name of there is love in sharing, what if an Ebola patient is amongst them and he was the first to use that cup and the funny part is you don’t drink and rinse such cup, immediately Papa Nonso turn his, Baba Biliki will turn his own too and it goes round, so it goes amongst the you in the neighborhood you will see a gathering where boys sit and gisting and there are sharing from one bottle of drink be it herbal or whiskey no one is waiting for a cup and young boys are found of hand shaking no matter the condition the next brother is if they see you before talking at all a hand shake has gone round and some time the hand shake are clockwise.
- POVERTY
Talking about poverty is also related to sharing under some condition, I remembered when going to the public school and you have lavish your small token your parents gave to you to school and it’s break time you are so tasty and don’t have a dime on you to buy a sachet of pure water the next option is (GUY ABEG DRINK REMAIN FOR ME) I have been through that before because it’s a turn by turn thing, today you’ll be buoyant in school the next day you’ll go broke and your group of friend won’t want to let you down because we watch each other back and cater of each other back in my high school days, and three of us are sharing a sachet of water, which I know it’s still happening in the public primary and secondary school and this is not only water I also remember some student will even eat and remain for their friends and that same food bought in a canteen or brought from their home will be eaten with one plate and spoon that’s the same plate and spoon the next person eating the leftover will use, worst scenario I also then is we share sachet yoghurt, and I believe it’s still happening because urban kids will always be urban kids.
And these things happened because of poverty, tell me what are the chances of these kids from these poor homes not contracting the virus from the public school?
My personal advice to the general public is be prayerful and not panic and ponder over it else you will be afraid to even step out of your house with your kids to school and your business/work places brethren that’s the beginning of causing yourself more arms.
@LaChocko_ via twitter.
