Akin Yusuf
I felt reasonably better after reading last Mondays press release by the Honourable Minister of Health, Babatunde Osotimehin, reassuring Nigerians that the country is still safe from the deadly Swine Flu (A/H1N1), which has so far claimed over 150 lives in Mexico with over 1, 600 more undergoing treatment. The epidemic has also been reported in other countries including the USA, Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Korea, France, Norway, Sweden and Spain. According to Osotimehin, “no suspected case of the Flu has so far been reported in Nigeria and the Federal Government is fully prepared to contain any outbreak”. The ministry, he said, has “strengthened surveillance at all ports of entry into the country – airports, seaports and all land borders”. This is comendable, but the minister also needs to match words with action. Knowing the way things work in Nigeria, especially with the porous nature of our entry and exit points, I would not be surprised if the first cases of swine flu are reported in Nigeria in the next few days. Of course, it was the same assurances that we got during the Avian Influenza and not too long after that the epidemic registered its presence in Nigeria and gradually spread to several cities across the country.
Why it is imperative for Nigeria’s health officials to redouble their efforts in order to ensure that the epidemic does not break out at all is given that the country’s already impoverished population would be further depleted in the event of the swine flu making its debut in the country. Again, the rapidity of its spread in Mexican cities essentially due to high population density also makes it quite attractive to Nigeria’s populous cities. Imagine if the swine flu eventually finds its way into Lagos, Ibadan or Kano? What would be the faith of Nigerians given that the country is in perpetual darkness owing to lack of electric power supply and the need for proper ventilation as advised by medical experts in case of an outbreak?
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So far the World Health Organization (WHO) has moved close to declaring the swine flu the first pandemic in 40 years, after a similar incident in Hong Kong killed over a million people in 1968. Consequently, it has raised its alert level for the virus to phase 4 (on a scale of 6) indicating a significantly increased risk of a pandemic (a global outbreak of a deadly disease). But many countries are also not taking the epidemic lightly and have in fact adopted different strategies aimed at ensuring that their citizens are protected. For instance, China and Russia have begun to quarantine visitors with suspicious symptoms, while Asian airports have turned on their heat-sensing equipment to detect sick incoming passengers (these were installed after earlier scares resulting from outbreaks of avian flu and SARS). At the same time, Britain, France, Germany and the USA have started discouraging non-essential trips to Mexico, while Japan has advised its citizens in Mexico to consider returning home soon rather than finding themselves unable to leave and not able to get adequate medical care.
The swine flu portends grave danger to the global economy especially coming at this period of economic recession, when nations are still struggling to provide succour to their depleted business environments. The epidemic is capable of battering especially tourism, food and transportation industries, if it is not immediately contained. It could further deepen the recession not just in the USA but also globally. The economy of Mexico for instance, which is seriously dependent on tourism as its third largest revenue earner is already feeling the pain as schools, churches and other public places have been shut. Moreover, the fact that majority of those who have so far died from swine flu are between the ages of 20 and 50 years equally portends an imminent danger. Asian financial markets are also reacting to the risk of the flu developing into a pandemic, which could jeopardize the fragile signs of recovery in the global economy. Furthermore, within the week oil prices fell by more than two percent as investors feared a new blow to an already fragile global economy especially as trade flows are curbed and manufacturing is hit even as the stocks of global airlines depreciated considerably since investors are worried that the travel industry would suffer.
Based on the foregoing, it is imperative for the government to take a more holistic approach aimed at dealing with a possible swine flu outbreak in Nigeria. This is in cognizance of Nigerians’ love for travel and the high risk of exposure either in Mexico or any of the other countries where swine flu has been reported. Common sense therefore suggests that we should not wait until Nigeria is hit before sufficient quantities of Tamiflu, which the Minister admitted is the drug of choice, is distributed to strategic medical institutions in the country in readiness for any emergency. While, the way meat is handled in Nigeria is rather regrettable, this is the time to take a more serious interest not only with pigs (with whom the swine flu is associated) but also other animals in which Nigerians consume their meat. Could we possibly emulate some of the countries listed above by ensuring that all entry points into Nigeria are properly secured?
Given the high rate of poverty in Nigeria at the moment, nobody should contemplate the swine flu or in deed any other flu venturing into the country either now or in the immediate future. Need I say that the impact would be disastrous? At the same time, we must be ready for any eventuality. A stich in time saves nine.
