Ebola under control, but ignorance remain contagious

With the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in western Africa, many fear here, in the south, that it is only a matter of time before the Ebola virus will strike us down.

So, of course, you get those who are prone to episodes of paranoia as soon as they get a fever or start coughing for no reason.

As the experts say, as long as you know you haven’t come into contact with someone from western Africa, then you will be fine.

This, of course, also poses another conundrum, which is: which countries make up western Africa?

It seems geography is no longer a strong skill in civilisation.

Here is a quick geography lesson: West Africa consists of 17 States – Benin, Burkina Faso, island of Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. So, stay clear of people who hail from these shores.

Despite the government telling us not to panic, there still exists the nagging fear that somewhere, somehow, someone will sneak across our borders, affect a non-western African, and then, voila, we are heading for quarantine.

Of course, all the movies they make these days about pandemics and outbreaks of viruses don’t help us to maintain a sane state of mind.

We have seen these terrible movies – hypothetical storylines, of course – where someone ate infected pork, got the terrible sweats, landed on a plane, disembarked at a busy, civilised airport and then, boom, the whole globe is coughing and rolling around in bed, screaming for mercy.

Granted, Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly diseases.

It is said it is highly infectious virus that can kill up to 90 per cent of the people who catch it, and is so infectious that patients need to be treated in isolation by staff wearing protective clothing.

Since developing in March, in Guinea, this latest outbreak has spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia where, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there had been almost 1 200 deaths by August 19.

Early on, symptoms are non-specific, making it difficult to diagnose. The disease is often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, feeling weak, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat.

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding.

For those who have just read this and carry such symptoms, take a minute to compose yourself, and think if you have met someone from West Africa. No? Good, probably no need to be isolated, but a trip to the pharmacy might still be a good idea.

By the way, symptoms can appear from two to 21 days after exposure. Some patients may go on to experience rashes, red eyes, hiccoughs, chest pains, difficulty breathing and swallowing.

Ebola is, therefore, serious, and yes, it will take flight in parts of the world where healthcare is as scarce as honesty in Parliament, but here in South Africa we sort of have our ducks in order.

Still, we, as humans, love to overreact.

It was the same with the recent earthquake.

Grief, there are places in the world where experiencing a five-plus magnitude earthquake is about as common as having your morning cereal. Yet, Gauteng shook a bit, then we were all diving for cover.

Remember a couple of years ago when there was the ensuing panic around swine ‘flu, and then we had avian ‘flu (H7N7 low-pathogenic avian influenza)?

As a reminder, swine ‘flu, or pandemic influenza A/H1N1, is a viral illness caused by the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus.

It was first isolated in Mexico and the US, in April 2009, and has since spread around the world. Disease from this strain of influenza is largely indistinguishable from that of seasonal (annual) influenza.

Although often a mild disease, pandemic H1N1 can be life-threatening in children and young adults, pregnant women, people with decreased immunity and in people of any age who have certain underlying conditions.

And yes, there were also the fears that South Africa was going to turn into a nation where avian ‘flu was about to take off in flight in a big way, causing people to strangely start fearing birds and chickens.

After sleepless nights when some thought they had contracted bird ‘flu, a lot of them realised they just had the normal ‘flu, and had not sprouted wings.

We have to remind ourselves that we do live in a ”sort of” civilised country, and this is the modern age. At least we do have the resources in terms of personnel, and the ability to deploy vaccinations quickly if there is an outbreak.

This is not the time of the 14th Century’, when the Black Plague caused thousands of people to succumb. The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75-million to 200-million people, and peaking in Europe in the years 1346-1353.

Back then the Black Death did spread slowly, due to lack of modern transport. It most likely originated in the arid plains of central Asia, from where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching the Crimea by 1343.

From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships.

The world has also managed to deal with the polio virus. By 1910, much of the world experienced a dramatic increase in polio cases and epidemics became regular events, primarily in cities during the summer months.

These epidemics – which left thousands of children and adults paralysed – provided the impetus for a ”Great Race” towards the development of a vaccine.

Developed in the 1950s, polio vaccines have reduced the global number of polio cases per year from hundreds of thousands, to under 1 000 today.

But, as mentioned in an earlier article, South Africans shouldn’t have to be burdened with the extra worries of natural disasters, because our politics and economy are a natural disaster on their own.

So, please, give us, here in the south, a break from tsunamis.

And, we also do not want to be burdened with the extra worry of pandemics and viruses creeping up on us, since there remains no cure in SA for the common disease of ignorance, foolishness, buffoonery and actions that almost make you think we still live in a jungle.

Ebola is real, but apparently under control here in the south. What is not under control is the continuing madness of our criminals, that makes Ebola seem like a common cold, and the strange behaviour of our politicians, which makes the bird ‘flu seem like an everyday hay-fever.

I remain far more concerned about the growing lawlessness, immorality and decadence of our time, than a rat on a ship with a menacing twinkle in his eye.

Now, who was that coughing around me?