Medical surveys have shown that during the period of the Ebola emergency in Nigeria, the rate of sicknesses and infections dropped drastically.
This is now being counted as a huge positive from the Ebola emergency that threatened Nigeria and other parts of West Africa in 2014, because hospital admissions dropped due to reduction of infections.
The medical expert, who noted this at an Exxon-Mobil medical outreach in Ogu town near Port Harcourt on Monday, Mbelu Chijioke of DGAGS Foundation, said more than half of infections suffered by Nigerians came from communicable diseases contracted from hand contacts.
The expert said the massive campaign on frequent hand wash, which caught on during the Ebola emergency at schools, homes, companies, offices, etc, led to a cut in the infection-circle of diseases, such that many persons could no longer contract diseases due to frequent washing of hands and less handshakes.
Urging Nigerians to endeavour to sustain the hand-washing lesson despite the end of the Ebola scare, Chijioke warned riverine communities that live in clusters to guard against frequent communicable diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, etc, saying they thrive where hygiene was not seriously observed.
He further warned that TB was on increase as a result of human immune virus (HIV) infections that lowered the immune levels, warning that most persons contacted TB from coughing into open air and handshakes.
“Records show a high prevalence level of hepatitis A, HIV, scabies, etc around the communities. There is high level of malaria due to stagnant waters, defecating into the water as habit breads cholera. So, always boil your water before use”.
Supporting the eradication campaigns, another medical expert, M.A. Okereke of Universal Basic Health Development Centre, lectured the Ogu rural dwellers on the rising prevalence of cervixes – cancer (in women) and prostates (in men), saying time had come for everybody to stand guard against such killers. She said the threats forced her centre and DHAGS to seek the support of Mobil to begin a fight against the major killers.
Mobil said it was supporting the efforts to bridge the information gap in the war against communicable diseases, saying the company was concerned in how the diseases could be controlled.
Paul Arinze, Mobil’s general manager, public and government affairs, said the joint venture wished to make a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of many of the residents of the Ogu/Bolo local council area.
Mobil sponsored a three-day free medical outreach in the area to reduce rate of diseases. The chairman of the opening ceremony and permanent secretary in the Rivers State Ministry of Health who was represented by a director, Golden Obvunda, praised the outreach saying Exxon-Mobil was usually doing well in the state with rare health intervention schemes.
He pointed to the screening for cancer saying it was a crucial investment in health, and commended the community people for trooping out to embrace the healthcare scheme.
The representative of the royal house (Amanyanabo) of Ogu and the traditional council also commended the scheme especially the awareness on washing of hands. He called for efforts in malaria eradication.
