By Chuks Okoh
As the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) continues to ravage countries in the West Africa sub region, medical experts in the aviation sector have said that the panic associated with EVD is more dangerous than the disease itself. This is just as they described the disease as an emerging disease. The medical experts spoke at a sensitisation seminar on Ebola organised by the Women in Aviation at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos at the weekend.
Speaking at the forum, the Acting General Manager, Aviation Clinic, Dr Olawale Oduwole ,posited that since the outbreak of the disease Nigerians have been very busy to ensure that they don’t contact EVD .
He stated that the extra caution being taken by Nigerians today is because of the deadly nature of the disease, which kills its victims at a very short period But he lamented that today because of the deadly nature of the disease, the panic associated with the disease is much more dangerous than the Ebola virus itself
Oduwole pointed out that because of the outbreak of EVD, people no longer talk about malaria for example, which according to him kills over 1000 people daily.
According to him, “Malaria kills over 1000 people daily yet we are not talking about it .We talk about Ebola because we know that Ebola is very dangerous and because the chances of the victim of the Ebola virus to survive are very slim”
An official from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Aeromedical,Dr, Dr Wilfred Haggai, said that the agency has issued directives to airlines on the measures that should be put in place to ensure that carriers of the virus are not brought into the country.
He added that there are penalties for disobeying this directive, adding that already airlines have been penalised for this.
He advised participants at the seminar to sensitise their friends, neighbours, church members, colleagues at work place and enemies on the disease to further create awareness about it, adding that it is by creating awareness that we can reduce the spread of EVD.
President of Women in Aviation, Mrs Rejoice Ndudinachi, said that the group decided to embark on the sensitisation seminar due to the dangerous nature of the disease that has killed over 1000 people.
She said that the sensitisation seminar was part of the group’s contribution towards creating awareness on EVD, which according to her has no cure presently.
The Women in Aviation boss stated that the sensitisation exercise is also part of the body’s continued healthy living
On her part, an official of the Public Health Consultant, Nigeria Air Force (NAF), Dr Esther Omokhuede, described Ebola as an emerging disease and that it attacks its victim simultaneously and the victim does not survive too long.
He advised that because of the deadly nature of the disease and coupled with the fact that it has no vaccine and no specific treatment, Nigerians must be very cautious by ensuring that they observe a high level of personal hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water thoroughly frequently especially when they visit the sick or when they come in contact with body secretions of such person.
She added that in the event that there is no soap or water, sanitiser must be used, adding that the virus can survive in semen for 61 days.
Omokhuede called for the stoppage of the consumption of raw meat and bush meat, to curb the spread of the disease.
