The demon called Ebola

The first time I came to hear about the deadly Ebola plague that is currently ravaging some West African countries was in the mid-80s. I was at various times editor of the Jos-based Sunday Standard and Daily Standard during which I ran a widely read weekly humor column entitled: The Man From PPC. By the way, PPC is a shortcut to Plateau Publishing Company. At a point, the title became synonymous with my name.
I recall my visit to the New Nigerian Newspapers Headquarters, Kaduna, to see my senior colleague, Mr. Dan Agbese, in the late 80s. I had gone to see him with a compilation of my humour write-ups with a view to getting him to write the foreword. When Agbese came out of his office to welcome me, he did not call me by my first name as he used to do before he left the Standard. He simply said: The Man From PPC.
One issue that I glamourised in The Man From PPC was bushmeat just as Agbese exalted goat head pepper soup to the culinary zenith when he wrote his “In Lighter Mood” column in the Standard up to the early 80s. It was when he exited the paper that I decided to invent “The Man From PPC” to fill the vacuum his departure created.
Because of my love for bushmeat, a passion that compelled my numerous fans to label me as Commander-in-Chief of Bushmeat Armed Forces, a colleague sauntered into my office one afternoon and shoved a newspaper on my table. He then drew my attention to a story about the outbreak of Ebola plague in the neighbouring Cameroon. The colleague, a Tiv named Tony Jov, told me he had to draw my attention to the presence of the plague at our backyard because the lethal disease was caused by some species of bushmeat and that he had come to save me from myself.
The Tivs are known to have some difficulties with letters “l” and “r” in their pronunciation of some words. An average Tiv would pronounce “lice” for rice or I “rove” you instead of I love you. However, the Tivs are not the only ones afflicted by rhotacism… defect in pronunciation. The Hausas too have the same problem as the Yorubas. For instance, a typical Hausa folk will pronounce people as “feful” or fuel as “puel”. A characteristic Yoruba man/woman has difficulty with letter “Z” hence zoo will be pronounced as “soo”.
In drawing my attention to the Ebola outbreak, my Tiv colleague said: “Oga Crem, I know you rike bushmeat a rot, but this Ebora disease is very dangerous and it is caused by bushmeat.”
I dissolved into a guffaw. He wondered what was so funny about the disease that could tickle me rather than get me worried. After the good laugh, I told him why I had to laugh. Ebola which he called Ebora is actually as terrible as the plague itself. Ebora in Yoruba means demon.
Now, Ebola is back with a big bang. And ravaging some countries along the West Coast of Africa, notably Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Liberia. Its emergence has sent panic among other West African nations, a development that has elicited emergency response from the World Health Organisation (WHO). So far, over 600 cases have been recorded with no fewer than 500 victims killed between January and February this year, when the plague announced its arrival in Guinea.
In a bid to boost massive response from WHO to the beleaguered sub region, a special WHO meeting summoned for Accra, Ghana, between July 2 and 3, 2014, to address the rampaging scourge was attended by concerned leaders of the region and their health ministers. Our own President Goodluck Jonathan was in attendance.
Ebola virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is the human disease caused by ebola viruses. Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus with a fever, throat and muscle pains, and headaches. There is then nausea, vomiting and diarrhea along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys.
According to medical experts, the disease is contracted when a person comes into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal such as a monkey or fruit bat. Dogs and pigs are also guilty of carriage. But fruit bats are believed to carry and spread the disease without being affected by it. Once infection occurs, the disease may be spread from one person to another. Men who survive may be able to transmit the disease sexually for nearly two months.
Prevention involves decreasing the spread of the disease from infected monkeys and pigs to humans. This may be done by checking these animals for infection and killing and properly disposing the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may be helpful, as wearing protective clothing and washing hands when around someone sick with the disease. Samples from people with the disease should be handled with an extra degree of caution.
It is noteworthy that President Jonathan was in Accra for the Ebola meeting. It is said that when your neighbour’s beard catches fire, you should start pouring water on your own. At the rate this demon is ravaging the sub-region, the relevant agencies should begin to build a bulwark against the plague. Nigerians, most especially the Tivs, love their bushmeat. Should Ebola sneak into this country (God forbid), the whole of Tiv land and its inhabitants would become endangered.
As for me, I have since sworn off bushmeat not because I foresaw the Ebola outbreak in the sub-region but for the method of smoking the delicacy.