Like the disease itself, the news of 2014 Ebola virus outbreak has gone viral leaving the residents of West Africa and beyond with the fear that they may be the next victim. Before we go into how much panic we should exercise, it is important to note that Ebola is not new. Although the 2014 outbreak has infected thousands and has claimed close to a thousand live as at today, the disease has been around for decades.
Ebola (a.k.a EVD) was first identified in the year 1976 in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the first set of victims Mayinga N. died only a few days later due to severe internal hemorrhaging. Ever since, the disease has claimed hundreds of lives on a yearly basis.
Causes
Ebola is primarily caused by four viruses. But the main origin of the virus has been subject of great speculations. While some believe that the Ebola River in Congo is the cause because the disease was named after the river, scientific findings reveal that fruit bats are the greatest culprits that naturally hosts the virus. Other wild animals such as Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Porcupines, etc have also been pointed as hosts to the Ebola Virus.
Transmission and Infection
Africans are the most victimized and the most infected with this disease because they have formed a desire for eating 'bush meat'. Sometimes, the traps of the hunter strain the animal that it dies off before the hunter could be chanced to slaughter it. The hunter may also kill the animal directly with his gun. Unfortunately, while preparing such bush meat, humans may become infected by coming in contact with the body fluid of a host animal.
The disease will go viral if the infected person later kissed another person, or have sexual relations with another.
Some African medical practitioners who are careless with the way they handle medical equipment can also inadvertently infect others when they use equipment that are not sterilized , or when they share a used needle with another person. They themselves can risk being infected if they do not wear the needed suit that will prevent them from having direct bodily contact with an infected person.
As infections lead to death in humans, the bodies of Ebola virus victims not properly disposed can lead to the handlers being infected.
African Countries Affected By The 2014 Outbreak.
As noted, Ebola Virus is about four decades old after it was initially identified. However, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak is the most devastating of all the EVD incidences. As at August 5, 2014, it has claimed 887 lives while more than 1000 others have been infected awaiting either death or a cure.
The West African Countries that have been affected are Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria. Although these countries are taking measures to avoid the widespread of this disease, their efforts seem to be paling into insignificance as EVD keeps gaining ground.
Interestingly, international communities where the disease has not been reported are also making moves to contain the disease. As such surveillance have been mounted at airports across the world. Primarily, any who do exhibit a level of feverish condition is immediately quarantined and observed. Its not surprising, prevention is better than cure.
Implication
The world is waiting to see what will come out of the efforts that the world leaders are putting in place to curb the spread of this deadly disease. In the meantime, a lot of havoc is being wreaked to the socio-economic activities of the people of West Africa, Africa and the whole world at large.
For some religious groups, the 2014 out break is just another evidence that we are living in the prophetic last days that Jesus foretold at Mathew chapter 24. They may have a point especially when you consider that a lot, beyond Ebola is being experienced on a global scale. Recently, the people of China mourn the loss of about 500 lives due to earth quake, thousands have been killed in the war between Palestine and Israel, Libya cannot be described as stable and Syria is like a time bomb waiting to explode. May be they are right, maybe we are truly in the last days.
Beyond religion, the socio-economic activities of the people of West Africa and the rest of Africa have been affected. Family members and friends are now skeptical to extend a friendly handshake to their kins for fear of catching the disease.
Economically, some nations are already suffering the consequence. For example, the GDP of Guinea before the outbreak was 4.5%, presently it has been reduced to 3.5%. It is not surprising, people are afraid to go out there and mingle with the crowd to transact the least of retail trading.
It is only a matter of time before this type of problem extends to other African countries. Even now, some foreign expatriates are exploring the option of leaving the country in the mean time. By extension, foreign investments will be discouraged if urgent efforts are not in place to curb this disease. Do we need to mention thousands of tourists who will pend their visits till the world declares the affected countries save for touring? By implication, these countries will suffer some financial losses as they grapple with the disease.
Beyond Africa
Realistically, it is not only African nations that will bear the economical loss that EVD might bring about. The trade relations existing between African nations and the rest of the world may suffer with time. For example, Europe, Asia and American Universities make millions of dollars annually from African students. Few days ago however, South Korea denied three Nigerian students entry into their country after they have been given university admission. Even if the country plans to stop this measure in the future, they will still incur some loss in the meantime.
Investors do not just come to Africa because it is the largest market of black people, they come because there are large deposits of mineral and natural resources that they need in their industries. If the plagues gets so serious that they are afraid to step on the African soil, it simply means they will not have access to these materials.
Rubber, cocoa beans, tobacco, marijuana and especially oil will be out of the reach of the west. If they have to turn to other sources for these materials, they may have to pay through their nose because of scarcity. Then, they will surely be missing their African business partners.
While we cannot categorically say that there has been a cure for the disease, the US and the rest of the world are making efforts to find solution to the problem of EVD. The serum designed by the United States was recently administered on an American doctor infected in Liberia. It is good news that the doctor is showing signs of improvement. Maybe the serum will be the cure eventually. For now, it is neither enough nor an ascertained means of curing the disease.
But seriously, why has the US not developed and introduced this serum before one of theirs was infected? Ebola has been around for 38 years and they wait till now? This type of move will only fuel the rumour that EVD is a bio weapon. In the mean time, The US, The World Health Organisation and other international entities should expedite action and help find a cure. They should see Africa not as an isolated and aloof entity, but an important part of a global community.
Kudos to the world bank for giving $2 million in aid to Africa. But whatever the resources is channeled into, it may be an exercise in futility if is not meant for funding research that will bring about the cure. Amidst allegation of using Ebola as a bio-weapon, the United States has sent 50 medical practitioners to Africa to combat the disease. This is a welcome development, but are they armed enough? Is the secret serum quantitative enough to go round the infected?
Another Black Death?
The 2014 Ebola outbreak has been described as the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history. This may be true, but the situation has not become as worse as that of the 14th century black death where about 200 million people died as a result of a strange disease they believed to be transmitted by rat. If the world could fight black disease when scientific achievements and medical researches and discoveries were still crude, more could be achieved in the 21st century.
Great achievements will be recorded, many lives will be saved when the world powers see that the problem of EVD is not just an African problem but that of the whole world. When the motive driving them is not just money they will make on patented drugs but on the desire to save lives. They will not just be salvaging the African economy, they will be stabilizing that of the whole world.
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