A Nigerian newspaper of August 20, 2014 came up with a
screaming headline: “Nigerian woman
causes Ebola scare in Germany” The detail news indicate that about 600 job seekers were quarantined as a result. Another news indicated that two
Americans contracted Ebola disease in Liberia. It was stated that their arrival
in isolation chambers caused fear in the US. Fortunately, the two Americans
have been cured. But it can be said that
Ebola is causing scare in Europe and America and in fact all over the world.
The focus of this post is to point out the need for global action on the
scourge.
A virus may start in a remote village in Africa and finds its way into
a crowded city from where it gets into other cities of the world via airline
carriers. In the present time of modern transportation, national and
international physical contacts, we are ALL potential carriers of Ebola.
Most of the agricultural products which feed the cities come
from rural areas. But rural areas of developing nations are where containment
of diseases is difficult. The difficulty stems from cultural beliefs, poverty,
proximity to disease-carrying animals, ignorance, and even fear of the foreign
health workers. But this should not discourage the developed nations from
working concertedly with any Ebola-infected developing Nations.
When Ebola strikes in any developing Nation, the tendency is
for the developed Nations to want to fence the affected Nations off and say “this
can never get to us”. But the developed Nations can not completely severe
themselves from the developing Countries. They cannot afford to forgo their
investments scattered all over the places. The world should therefore start to
act cooperatively in the three areas of prevention, containment and treatment. The world should start to build network of
health care personnel and facilities around the world especially the developing Countries so
that individual country can have the capacity to respond to, and manage
epidemics successfully.
The United Nations should increase health budgets for international
health organizations such as World Health organizations, Doctors without
Borders, Red Cross and others. This is to improve on the response capacity of
the organizations. It will also encourage research into the relatively new
diseases. Furthermore more health officers will be employed and more training will be offered.
Developed Nations should send health experts and financial supports
to the developing nations. When a drug
is found, it should be made available or patent rights sold to willing countries.
The world is now a global village. The developed world will
be making an IMPOSSIBLE choice of fencing itself off from the third world. And
its health facilities may not be able to cope if, due to selfishness and
self-preservation, the Ebola infections degenerate into epidemic stage. A global
action is therefore imperative.
