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Francis Ugwu
It is no longer news that the world is facing one of the toughest challenges for ages, occasioned by the novel coronavirus disease – COVID-19. As at the time of putting this piece together (8:24AM, Sunday, 29th March 2020), statistics available on Worldometre.info shows that the world had recorded 664,731 cases, out of which 30,892 had died, while 142,427 had recovered. Nigeria has so far registered 97 cases since the first incident on 27th February with only one fatal and three recovered cases, respectively.
The encouragement, however, is that this is not the world’s first pandemics and just like others, we shall survive this too. The world has known about 10 major pandemics between 165 AD and early 2000s ranging from cholera, bubonic plague, smallpox, and influenza, etc. despite their heavy tolls on mankind given the stage of science and technology at the time, with smallpox alone is estimated to have killed between 300-500 million over a 12,000-year period, mankind has always overcome.
In 165 AD, the Antonine plague killed over five million people, mainly around Asia Minor, Egypt, Greece, and Italy. The Plague of Justinian (caused by Bubonic Plague) claimed 25 million lives in a year (between 541 – 542) around Byzantine Empire and Mediterranean port cities. The Black Death ravaged Europe, Africa, and Asia between 1346 and 1353, leaving between 75 and 200 million deaths in its trail. Third Cholera Pandemic (1852-1860), claimed over a million lives between 1952 and 1860.
Also, the Flu Pandemic (Asiatic Flu or Russian Flu) took over a million lives between 1889 and 1890). The Sixth Cholera Pandemic (1910-1911) claimed over 800,000 lives, while the Flu Pandemic of 1918 infected about 500 million people, killing over 25 million people in the first 25 weeks and the death toll might have reached 50 million. The Asian Flu, which originated from China, claimed 2 million lives, while Flu Pandemic of 1968 (Hong Kong Flu), decimated over a million.
First discovered in Africa (DR Congo), AIDS/HIV is also a pandemic and has killed over 36 million people since 1981. Thank God the annual global deaths have been dropping since 2005.
Although the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak of 2014 was categorised as an epidemic (not a pandemic) since it was limited to West Africa, it was nevertheless a grave challenge between 2014 and 2016. It claimed over 11,310 lives out of the 28,616 reported cases in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alone, while 36 cases and 15 deaths were reported outside the three countries, with Nigeria recording 19 cases and seven deaths out of those.
Thank God for advancement in science and technology, which has rubbed off positively on the field of medicine, the world is today able to reduce fatalities resulting from pandemics to the barest minimum.
Likewise, thanks for leadership by political leaders and medics around the world. In Nigeria, for instance, but for leadership, starting with that heroine, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh and her team at First Consultant Medical Centre, the casualty figure from Ebola epidemic could have been much higher in Nigeria, considering the nation’s population, if the Liberian carrier, Sawyer, was allowed to leave the Lagos hospital to the Calabar conference. Again, as the Ogun State Government rightly pointed out, the brilliance of a young Nigerian female doctor, Amarachukwu Allison “led to the early diagnosis and rapid containment of the first Covid-19 infection.” But for her intuition, professionalism, and patriotism, Nigeria could have been in bigger trouble.
Likewise, despite our perennial unpreparedness for health emergencies caused by a broken health system, despite some yawning leadership gaps here and there, some individuals, governments, and corporate entities are showing leadership in the face of Coronavirus pandemic. From Lagos and Enugu to Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, and a few others, we can see leadership in action. However, I would talk more about Enugu where I reside and have first hand experience.
Even before the first two cases were recorded at the weekend, the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led administration had taking proactive, empathic, yet firm steps to reduce to put in place facilities and highly motivated human capital in place to manage any possible incident.
In a demonstration of an understanding of the emergency situation the country has found itself, the Governor convened an emergency session of the Enugu State Executive Council (EXCO) where the sum of N320 million was approved to address the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the immediate relocation of the state’s Isolation Centre to the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Park Lane, Enugu in line with the advice from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that Isolation Centres are best located within the Specialist Hospitals for prompt and effective emergency response. This will obviously make high tech machines in Teaching Hospital readily available to patients. The approval also covered the procurement of more personal protective equipment, respirators, additional ambulances etc. needed to manage their patients; special/additional trainings for health workers; contact tracing of any suspected case for quarantine/self-isolation. EXCO also approved N100 million for the Emergency Operation Centre account.
The Governor had also in state broadcast directed the shutdown of public and private schools not later than 27th March 2020. The State further directed all public officers/civil servants to work from their homes except health workers, Forest Guards, Neighbourhood Watch personnel, Water Corporation staff, Waste Management operatives, staff of Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, Fire Fighters and all those involved in other essential services.
It further suspended all cultural and social gatherings including marriage ceremonies, burial ceremonies, masquerade festivals, drinking bars, nightclubs and all group sporting and recreational activities to prevent infection and community spread. It also enforcing social distancing in places of worship, while also listing social distancing codes for transport operators in terms of number of passengers, hygiene, disinfection, etc.
Ugwuanyi equally announced the establishment of a Multi-sectoral Rapid Response Team comprising representatives relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies including local and international partners such as Nigeria Center for Disease Control, WHO, and UNICEF.
As an administration with a human face, which equally understands the place of motivation in times like this, the Enugu State Government approved the immediate provision of Group Life/Group Personal Accident Assurance Policy for all medical doctors in ESUT Teaching Hospital at Park Lane. According to a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, the assurance package was similarly extended to all doctors in the State Ministry of Health, all other health workers, fire fighters, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, and all those involved in other essential services.
•Ugwu writes from Enugu
Furthermore, the administration has ordered a shutdown of markets and the state boundaries to contain the menace.
Important also is the government’s ability to galvanise and mainstream political, community, and religious leaders like Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Local Government Councils, traditional rulers, Presidents-General of all Town Unions, clergies, volunteers, and town criers into the enlightenment campaigns to ensure compliance with the WHO and NCDC protocol/guides for prevention of COVID-19 transmission. These are working with the State Multi-sectorial Rapid Response Team, which is making available Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials down to the grassroots. Apart from the fever-pitch physical enlightenment campaigns visible in all the communities of the State, enlightenment jingles sponsored by some federal lawmakers, such as Senator Ike Ekweremadu in both English and local dialects of the State are equally blaring all over the airwaves, in addition to those sponsored by the State government, radio stations themselves, and some corporate entities.
All said, Enugu State has demonstrated that true leaders flourish in times of crisis (Andrew Wommack) and as Rudy Gulliani also asserts, it is in times of crisis that good leaders emerge.
But there is no way the leaders can do it all. Even the best policies and facilities can’t succeed without the cooperation of the masses. It’s a collective battle. We must play our part by staying safe, strictly observing the WHO, FG, and NCDC protocols and guidelines on Coronavirus pandemic, knowing full well that heavens help those, who help themselves. As a nation, we must also gird on with strength and hope that like the plagues and pandemics of the past, this too shall surely pass.
•Ugwu writes from Enugu
