Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr Vincent Okpala has attributed the rapid outbreak of the coronavirus to the fact that it was not given proper attention when the first stream was discovered in Wuhan District in the People’s Republic of China.
Dr Okpala gave the opinion while speaking with our correspondent in Awka on the increasing incidence of the virus.
COVID-19 has generated a global scare with more countries recording index cases while more people get infected in countries where they have been diagnosed before.
According to Dr Okpala, COVID-19 is under the zoonotic class which entails infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that spread from non-human animals (usually vertebrates) to humans.
“COVID-19 is a disease caused by a trend called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS COV- 2), which predominantly affects the respiratory system of individuals. As a Zoonotic disease, it can live in the body of an animal host without causing any harm to them as research has not proved otherwise. However, when transmitted to humans, they cause severe danger. One of such diseases is Lassa virus which is transmitted by rats.
“The story is that COVID-19 started in a fish market in Wuhan before spreading to the human population. When it got to the human population and because it was a new stream of the virus, nobody knew what was going on until it went wide. What happens with these viruses is that sometimes they mutate and when they develop to newer streams, they can be very deadly. I would say that the fast spread of the virus is due to the lack of early attention to the disease when it started,” he explained.
The expert maintained that there is no scientifically proven cure for the virus yet and debunked myths that the virus cannot survive in tropical zones.
“The disease is spread when an individual carrying the virus coughs or sneezes and one inhales it. If you are within coughing zone that is within 5 feet of the contagious individual, you are bound to be infected. Also, when the droplet from their cough lands on a surface and one touches it and the unwashed hands is used to pick the nose, rub the eyes or touch the tongue. There is no cure yet for Coronavirus. I have heard a lot of people say that bitter kola has been found to cure it but that is not true. Although bitter kola is an immune booster, it has not been proven to be a cure for the virus,” he said.
“In Nigeria,” Dr Okpala said, “we have recorded two cases of the coronavirus, one in Lagos and the other in Ogun state. So, one cannot say that the virus cannot thrive here. What we advocate is that our people adopt sound hygiene and preventive measures that will ensure that they stay safe from the virus. One of such ways is to maintain constant handwashing with soap and running water for up to 20 seconds. Also, when sneezing or coughing, it is advised that you cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief.”
Dr Okpala revealed that the state has introduced a system of contact tracing for diseases that will help follow up on any case and isolate contacts.
“This is something commendable that the state has done by introducing a system of tourism statistics to track inbound and outbound individuals in the state. These also include persons who travel to areas where they are at high risk of contracting this disease. Hotels have also been directed to register guests and getting vital data on them. What the Ministry is doing presently is to enforce the system. This is one of our strongest points in contact tracing,” Okpala said.
He urged the populace to report early signs of the virus-like fever, sore throat, cough, troubled breathing or any form of respiratory ailment, by calling the state emergency unit on 08058967320, 08030953771, 09016912956 or 08145434416.
