She has hopped throughthe fiery fire of thefiend-like Ebola virus disease, hurtbut later healed; now hale and healthy, ToshiAnonobi, one of the nursesat the First Consultant Hospital, Lagos State, where the first caseof Ebola virus disease was reported in Nigeria is on her way to the “evil forests” where the virus currently lives and breeds – to save lives being tormentedby the scourge.
Anonobi goes along with 249 volunteers fromNigeria to Sierra-Leone and Liberia, two of the three countries most affectedby thevirus, worldwide, leaving her family behind. Hersis one of the greatestsacrificesany human could pay toa fellow man!
Anonobi said she was moved by her experience with thedisease and the need to save lives and nations currently in the grip of the virus.
Speaking with our reporterat a 2-day predeparture training organized for the volunteers in Lagos State recently underthe auspices of the Africa Union Support for Ebola in WestAfrica, ASEOWA, the nursesaid she remained committedto doing everything possible to ensure thevirus is defeated from the earth.
“I got Ebola while working at the First Consultant Hospital. I was taken to IDH, infection hospital. Then, at IDH, they managed me and they managed me well. Today, I am alive tolive to testifyto the glory ofGod. I did not take any Ebola drug because Ebola has no cure but through theintervention of medical doctors and the nurses and otherpeople, and through adherence to whatever they asked me to do, I was able to live through it. And, I was able to conquer. Today, I am alive.
“So, our sister countries that are battling with Ebola, I am one of the volunteers that want to go in the sensethat I got healed; I got ok through some people, through doctors and nurses, through their intervention, through God. As I am going, I know that someonewill get healed through me. I saw Ebola, I faced it, I lived throughit, and I conquered it,” she added.
Asked if her family resisted her decision to assist in the fight against the disease having been once attacked by it, sheresponded: “There is no bad reaction from my family. My husband is aware of it. While I was at IDH, he used to come every day. He believed that I have overcomeit. It is not a new thing to him. I have been there. I saw myself that I survived it, that was what motivated me. Though Ebola is real, no cure for it, they can manage it and one would get well.
“While I was at the IDH, my husband used tocome almost two times a day. So, it was that initial time that he had mixed feelings. But, since I finally came out of it, he doesn’t feelbad about it again,” hestressed.
It is this same vision that drives her colleagues. Many of the volunteers who spoke with National Mirror gave similar reasons. They argued that Africans should rise to help theirbrothers and sisters, including anybody that require such help from the globe.
The contingent is the largest team that has emergedfrom any country to support the fight against the disease. Given itsgrowing toll, Ebola has no other mission but to extinct humanity from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where 17256, cases, 10,793 laboratory confirmed cases and 6113 deathshave been recorded, according to United States Centrefor Disease Control, CDC, updated statisticson the disease last week. Volunteers fromNigeria headed to Liberia and Sierra Leone last weekend. The two countries are lucky; they speak English language which is the official language in Nigeria. Hence, it is believed the effortwill be result-driven, as there will only bevery minimal challenges in reaching and communicating with locals in those countries, who also speak the corrupt English popularly called ‘pidgin’ like Nigerians. Thus, even culture and colour will also help also boostthe fightagainst the scourge.
From all indications, for most of thevolunteers, what they are doing is beyond just rendering help or saving lives; it seemstheyhave seen the task as part of destiny they must fulfil. Commentsfromsome of them aptly capture this assumption.
Dr Adekunle Sunday is one of the volunteers. He works at the ABU Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna state. He said: “I got tothis programme by the open invitation, that is as a volunteer. Ifyou recall, we took oathas medical professionals to take care of humanity. Then, this is an opportunity for usto actually be faithful to our oath. Initially, in the family, people had mixed feelings; everybody is afraid of Ebola as if it were a death sentence. But, at the end of the day, we all got over it. If you allow Ebola to continue to spread, it meansevenin our hiding places, Ebola may track us and find us out. Itis very dangerous. Ebola is out towipe off humanity.
“If you look at theeffortof the Nigerian government. I think Nigerian government has done very well. You all recall that Nigeria is still in the learning process.And, all of us are still learning. For Nigeria to have taken this bold stepof bringing medical professionals on board to tackle Ebola epidemic, I think it is a welcome idea. And then, at the end of it, it will all translate toindividual group and the nation as a whole trying to make sure that whenever we have epidemic of any sort, we will know how tomanage or how to approach it very well,” he added.
According to him, such effort could help in fostering unity among health professionals in Nigeria: “If you look at our differences, the time has come toactually put our differencesaside and play our role as team. And, in this team work, I think Nigerians are the best professionals we have in the world. We are not looking at our differences;it is thejob now. Those are the oathswe took – to take care of humanity.
“Going out, what we are telling the world is that we are capable; we are able to actually curtail any type of epidemic. It doesn’t matter, our differencesare just minor issues. It is just that we have a lot of humanity at the back of our mind. I think that is the messageto the world,” hestressed.
Beside, a lady, Imo Chinasa, who works with Ebola Emergency Operation Centre, EEOC, Lagos, is part of the team. She told our reporter: “My experienceabout ten years ago, I lost a relative because of HIV. That motivated methat if you are in the fightthat matters, the family in thefirst place, you will not losethem. So, it is not about whether my family would letme go or not, the problem is if I go, will they be safer? So, I am thinking about my family, while thinking about every other family around. Don’t forget that every one ofus came from a unit.”
Chinasa said further: “NIgeria has always been the champion of Pan-African affairs all over the world. It is not about theirconception; it is about our own national interestof making sure that every of our neighbouring country is securein termsof security and health wise. And, we know we have not just the capability, we have the capacity on theother hand to help them. We have the manpower and the skills to help them because the reason this problem escalated was because of inadequate facilities. The manpower was lacking and the right skills tocontain the virus was not available.
“We know our potentials; we believe we will deploy our skills there and the disease would becontained for real. Nigeria cannotbe secure, we can’t saywe’ve contained Ebola, exceptit leavesour neighbouring countries,”she argued
No comments:
Post a Comment