- Now is the time for Nigeria to prepare for a possible outbreak
As if the onslaught of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and Lassa fever were not enough, Nigeria must now gear up for a possible encounter with Zika virus, the mosquito-borne viral ailment that has been linked with birth defects in babies born to infected mothers.
Although it was first discovered in the Zika forest of Uganda in 1947, the disease has spread to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and is carried by the hardy Aedes mosquito. An outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil in May 2015 is believed to have caused about 3,500 birth defects even after the disappearance of its symptoms in the mothers.
Such is the alarm caused by the explosive spread of the disease that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Zika virus a global health emergency requiring coordinated health responses, the expedited development of diagnostic testing procedures and vaccines, as well as enhanced control of the mosquitoes which carry it.
Apart from the general lack of immunity in humans, perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the Zika virus epidemic is the ease of its spread. Like malaria, the disease is spread by infected mosquitoes which thrive in dirty and humid environments. While its effects in adults – fever, aches and pain, rashes, red eyes – are relatively mild, there is growing concern that pregnant women infected by the disease may give birth to babies with microcephaly, having unusually small heads and damaged brains. Some four million people could be infected by the end of 2016.
Nigeria is no stranger to the depredations of mosquito-borne diseases. The country loses 300,000 victims to malaria every year, more than any other nation. There was an outbreak of yellow fever in 2000, and dengue fever in April 2014. The endemic nature of these diseases is a testimony to the failure of the strategies designed to control them.
The country simply cannot afford the spread of yet another highly-infectious, insect-borne disease at a time that it is still struggling to overcome those it is already familiar with. The lack of knowledge about the Zika virus, the absence of reliable diagnostic procedures, treatment regimens and vaccines further complicates the dilemma.
Prevention must therefore be the main plank in any viable Nigerian response to the disease. In attaining this aim, properly utilising the lessons of the country’s successful handling of the EVD outbreak in July 2014 is crucial. All states must have emergency response centres capable of identifying, locating, tracking and isolating the disease in their areas of responsibility. Comprehensive information campaigns must be developed to enlighten the populace about the ways in which the disease can be prevented, how its symptoms can be recognised, and what actions to take if it is discovered.
Most crucially, the anti-Zika virus campaign should be used to reinvigorate the strategies that have long been deployed against malaria: the maintenance of clean environments free of wild vegetation and standing water; regular and thorough sanitary inspections; improved water supply; comprehensive primary medical care; the provision of adequate nutrition for babies and children.
Close coordination with other countries and international health bodies and non-government organisations (NGOs) is crucial. Nigerians are famously peripatetic; thousands of them live in Brazil, the epicenter of Zika virus. Procedures must be developed to ensure that the health status of those who travel to Zika-prone areas is carefully monitored.
Ultimately, however, Nigeria must begin to develop a much more comprehensive response to public health emergencies which runs the gamut of preventive and treatment strategies. Upgrading sanitation, medical, research and civic education institutions and facilities will enable the country to react to threats like Zika virus with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
