And this is happening at a time doctors in government hospitals are on strike, making a bad situation worse.
In spite of the 38 years’ notice the EVD gave us, it still caught us unprepared. Despite the long warning since March 2014, when the current outbreak was reported in Guinea by the World Health Organisation, it still caught us off-guard. Sawyer brought it into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos in July. If he had been screened, his high fever and take-off country would have given him away as a prime Ebola suspect. He would have been quarantined at the airport (if there was any such facility there) and the nation would have been saved this problem. By coming through the airport – rather than many of our porous borders – the Ebola virus disease gave us all the opportunities not to allow it in, yet because we were not alert, we did not notice it or stop it.
And in spite of our claims to the contrary, we were caught off-guard. The facility in Lagos for the patients of EVD was reported to be below standard by the families and colleagues of the patients at a press conference last week. Based on complaints from a patient at the facility – Justina Ejelonu, a nurse who contracted the disease while attending to Sawyer – her Facebook group (Igboville) had to deliver oxygen canisters to her. Unfortunately, she died last Friday. Reports show that the facility has been upgraded. And happily, on Saturday, the first Ebola patient was discharged. We pray that others will recover and go home.
October 1 is our National Day. We won’t be ready for it. The dry season will start in November. It will still come upon us suddenly. Christmas is December 25. Many of us won’t be ready for it. The Nations Cup will hold next year. We won’t be ready for it. That is the way we are. We sleep and wake up in the bosom of God. So, there is no need to prepare for anything, since God will take care of everything for us. Disaster is not our portion. Failure is not our portion. Poverty is not our portion. They are the portion of Judas Iscariot and Lucifer!
Our attitude to events foretold is pathetic. We need serious deliverance to save us from a major catastrophe. But as always, the chorus would be: “It is not our portion!” Hope Ebola has taught us anything can be our portion after all.
*Note: This article was written by Azuka Onwuka before another set of four Ebola patients were discharged from hospital in Lagos yesterday (Monday)[eap_ad_3]