Since the death of four victims of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the fear of contracting the deadly virus is spreading across the country like a wild fire.
Many residents of Lagos, who spoke with NT Metro, expressed divergent views on the cause, spread and preventive measures. Mr Joseph Nwanchukwu, who resides in Ogba area of the metropolis, said the awareness level about Ebola was now high among the people.
He said: “I went to a bank this morning the bank provided a bowl of water and soap for customers to wash their hands to avoid being infected with the deadly Ebola disease.
Kudos to the bank for taking steps to preserve the lives of its customers.” A pharmacist, Mrs Grace Nelson, said that personal hygiene was the best way to avoid the disease.
She said: “To me, personal hygiene keeps you healthy and people have been coming here to buy sanitizer and antiseptics, in order to protect themselves against the disease.”
A trader at Avis bus stop in Ogba, who gave her name as Iya Esther, said one needed to be very careful. She said: “One must wash his or her hands and body with antiseptics and do not relate with anybody.”
But a bookshop owner at Ogba, Innocent Odima, said he was just hearing of the disease for the first time. He said: “It is a viral disease and dangerous, based on what medical experts said, we just have to be careful and maintain personal hygiene.
We also have to be careful the way we shake hands with people and also reduce body contacts.” A business centre owner, Gabriel Wabara, said he did not know much about Ebola. “All I know is to avoid careless contacts with people, blood, semen and other things,” he said.
A pharmacist, John Oluseyi, said Ebola virus had been in Africa for a long time. According to him, the only way to curtail it is to ensure proper use of chlorine or bleach by diluting it with water before using it to wash hands.
He said: “Since the disease is not contagious at its early stage which is between three to 21 days of infection, people should ensure that any suspected sign of whatever kind of fever is reported to the right quarters before it gets to the stage of high fever where it becomes contagious. Mrs. Florence Emmanuel, urged Nigerians to turn to God as the ultimate healer.
She said: “We should just keep on praying for the country because God is our definite healer; He can heal us of Ebola.” A nurse, Miss Rachael Adesina, expressed the belief that Nigeria would soon overcome the Ebola scourge.
She said: “Ebola will die down very soon, because I have heard of bird fluid, lasser fever and many other diseases and now they are no more in town. Ebola is just the work of the devil, nothing more.
“As a nurse I am very careful of the patient I treat, and before I render any service I put on hand gloves and after I am done with the treatment I wash and sanitize my hands. At times I take my bath before I attend to my kids and husband.
The government can’t really do much; all we need is prayer for the nation.” Mrs Rifkatu Hassan, a petty trader, said cases of victims of Ebola Virus had been reported in the country.
She said: “Distance is no barrier to this virus in as much as people move from one place to another. Such movements can transport an infected person to another state with no reported case of Ebola.
“There is no inter-state border check in Nigeria and an infected person can hop in on a bus, either to visit a friend or a relative, and bring it to another state.”
Patrick Ogbu said it was not just avoiding Ebola prone countries but also to avoid eating any meat one did not know its source.
“Among other preventive measures is what Adamawa and Kaduna states have already started; checking passengers entering their states to ensure that no Ebola case is reported in any hospital in their state.
“Handshake doesn’t get one infected unless the person has Ebola, but it is advised that people should take precaution when shaking someone they do not know.”
On his part, Hamza Mamman said Nigerians should be mindful and careful with the kind of people they mingle with.
He said: “We should be careful with its signs and consult physicians when we notice any sign of Ebola. Government should provide our healthcare providers with the necessary apparatus against the deadly Ebola virus.”
Kelvin Kohen, who works with Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), advised that people should completely avoid handshakes and unnecessary talks in the public.
According to him, people who work at airports, hospitals, transportation companies and eateries need to be very sensitive because those are areas where the deadly virus is mostly contacted.
He said: “If the Catholics would change their way of taking Holy Communion because of Ebola, we also need to take preventive measures.”
Adesina Adedeji, an engineer, said he knew what Ebola was all about. He said: “In fact, we know that the Liberian- American, Patrick Sawyer, brought the disease to the country and we are sad about it”.
Mr Bolanle Okunade, a banker, warned against the use of salt and water, which has claimed more than four lives in parts of the country. He said: “I can only vouch for the ZMAPP serum, let not pay attention to rumours about the use of salt water to cure the disease.”
Okunade, who urged Nigerians to queue behind the medical experts, acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government to check the disease.
“I appreciate the efforts of Federal Government trying to contain the situation.
Recently, I learnt that the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, set up 103 surveillance centres to check Ebola in the state.
“Also, President Goodluck Jonathan approved N1.9 billion to implement a Special Intervention Plan aimed at curtailing further spread of EVD.”
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