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Sniff. Peek...Sightings Near Home

* Long Rambling Alert...Read this and you get  2 for the 'price' of 1...hahaha...kinda like getting more than you bargained for...Actually started writing this post three weeks ago but it never 'saw the light of day'....until today, that is...A whole lot has happened within the last one month...a lot*

Once upon a loooonng time, terrorism was a far off menace. Evils being battled by veeeeeery distant 'unlucky' countries that we only hear / read about...but now its come home to roost.

Can you think of a life lesson from this?

10 years ago, I never ever imagined we would be HERE...now, in Nigeria. But we're here and it just keep getting worse. Could really be worse than it already is. I only pray it doesn't get any worse till it gets better.

I read about what's going on in the Middle East and I still utter thanks to the Almighty. At least it's not that bad, yet.

He still loves us, really and His grip is ever so firm on us.
I just had to add this...a constant reminder and source of comfort, for me.

Still...over 140 days...the Chibok girls remain missing, the kidnapping still continues -over 100 boys and men this time around, the killing still goes on in the North and many prayers have gone unanswered or so it seems.

At least some of my lil boy's heartfelt unrelenting plea every night is yet to be answered by the Supreme Being.

''Let the kidnapped schoolgirls be released to go home in Jesus name...let the boko haram people stop being bad and let them stop killing everybody in Jesus name...boko haram will not come to Nigeria again in Jesus name...they will not come to Lagos in Jesus name...there will be no war in Nigeria...there will be peace in Nigeria...nobody will fall sick in Jesus name...nobody will die in Jesus name...we will be happy in Jesus name...''

Answers delayed are not favors denied.
And..He tarries for some divine reasons that the human mind cannot comprehend.

The kidnapped girls are top on his prayer list, night after night and on one occasion after praying he asked me a question which I tried to feebly explain away with my mummy-wisdom. He asked me why God has not moved in to save the Chibok girls if it's true that He loves us all

In his childlike innocence, he asked ''are they not also His children?...maybe He doesn't love them''

I was truly floored. Face down on the saw-dusty ground but I had to quickly get up.

Don't stay down...get up...up, up and up.

And I tried to feebly explain  how He has given us the resources to help ourselves and to bring the girls out without necessarily warranting Him coming down from heaven to do it Himself. How we have a really strong army that can fight and a government in place and He's only expecting us to do the right thing with what He's given us all. And how everyone was created and loved by Him, including the 'boko haram people'.

Even though Mummy pretends to be a walking encyclopedia but she doesn't know it all, nobody does. Moreso, His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts ours. Talk about mystery.

But I digress.

And the dreadfully dreaded Ebola came on the scene. And we felt safe in our comfort zone again, observing events from afar. It's not yet in Nigeria, couldn't be. We are too far removed from the affected countries and ain't we tougher?

And we let down our guards...as if they were ever up. Nothing was done to guard the notoriously porous Ports and Borders. Nothing was done to prepare for the unexpected.

Liberia. Sierra Leone. Congo. All our neighbors battle-weary and we failed to learn and do the needful.



Then, less than 24 hours after one of the doctors at the forefront of battling the terrible disease contracted the virus in Sierra Leone, the virus came visiting Nigeria in the form of Mr. Patrick Sawyer straight from Liberia with the gift of death. Like a thief in the night...totally unexpected.

Should we now be scared? No. Yes. No. Yes. No. No.

We should not give in to fear and start panicking but the spectrum keeps getting wider and the casualty figure rises with every peep at the news.

Lord have mercy on your people.

Ebola is more than serious with the high mortality rate or low survival rate but fear neither works nor helps.

Proactive measures will work. Real actions will work. Useful information will work. Presence of mind will definitely work. Prayers will work. Work will work. Whatever works will work. And whatever will work works. Sorry, I'm getting carried away with all these. It's been a tough period for all.

But you get my point, right? Fear isn't going to help anyone, fear will not work. We all have to be strong. For our own sakes.

Just last week, I was briefing the kids about the 'health situation' in the country and D1 admitted fear, he's scared because I told him people are dying and he doesn't want to die.

Neither does mummy want to die. Nobody wants to die, really. But at least he's braver than mummy by vocalizing or verbalizing his fears and getting it out of his system.

Mummy goes...''you don't have to be scared. Just remember to always wash your hands''.  As if the vaccine itself is in the soap and water or hand sanitizer. And he's been at it since then. He religiously washes his hands like a zillion times daily and has even become D2's mentor in the act of hand-washing.

You should understand a bit where mummy is coming from.

Schools are on holidays and there's nowhere to keep the kids other than the same school for summer camp / program. Nothing changes, still 7am - 6pm daily!

Dunno where the teachers / carers journey from everyday. Dunno who they've been in contact with. Dunno who their contacts have been in contact with. And it goes on and on.
Even if mummy wanted to stay home and be with dem boyz to minimize exposure / risks, she's got less than three weeks left of her annual leave.

When that's finally exhausted, what happens?

Na to resign remain, abi?

Again, Lord have mercy on Your children.
But...fear not..for I am with you..that's what the good book says.

I don't even want to start about our health care system and the lack of infrastructures and unmotivated health workers.

Talking about health workers, darling hubby is one. And the fear gauge or whatever it is that keeps pounding and measuring within just climbed a notch higher. You get?

No real protection for the health workers that I know of as of now. ''Do you have 'hot-suits'?''. ''No''. 

Opinion poll: Should mummy and daddy resign on account of ebola?

Hunger also kills, maybe not as fast as ebola...or maybe faster...
Fear too...kills faster than ebola. That's what hubby says and I go with him. And with Mikey...my friend at work.

Hubby opined that at least 1000 people must have died from hypertension or BP related diseases or fear-induced diseases since ebola 'entered' Nigeria. Hmmm.

But enough. Wouldn't hurt to again highlight a few possible signs of Ebola...ebola...it doesnt deserve that capital 'E'...

This harsh and brutal nonsensical infection typically starts manifesting with flu-like symptoms:
General feeling of being unwell, fever or increased body temperature, weakness, joint and muscle pain, sore throat or throat infection, shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, seizures, skin rash, bleeding below the skin surface, coma....and the big one...death.

It is spread by exposure to body fluids (blood, sweat, saliva, mucus, tears, semen and vaginal secretion) of infected persons.

The killer virus is now out of control in Africa, ravaging many communities and holding on fast with its death grip with a high fatality rate of up to 90% - reaping where it didn't sow! Very bleak and super-dupa-scarily sad.


Proactive measures:
-Maintain personal hygiene.
-Wash hands often with soap and water to reduce the possibility of infection.
This is because it is easy for the virus to enter the mucous membrane like the eyes, nostrils, ears, vagina and the rest because these parts get touched by our fingers often. If you don't wash your hand after being in contact with a carrier, knowingly or unknowingly....then the next touch could be fatal.

You see why washing of hands with soap and water is important?

-Avoid close contact with sick persons.
But how in the world are we supposed to care for them if we can't touch or move close to them? This virus no do well at all.

If you have anyone around you with flu-like symptoms, pick race enter an hospital fast, dragging the person along. Don't just wish any sickness away. Any sickness at all. Do the right thing and seek medical help.

One good thing is that not everyone infected dies. We still have some bleak statistics for survival. At all at all na hin bad pass. 

And I just read that WHO has approved of an experimental drug 'Nanosilver' which just arrived the country. Also heard Canada is releasing 1000 doses of an experimental drug / vaccine for the virus. Another ray of hope. Nope two rays of hope aka two silver linings in the very dark sky.

What can we do besides praying and hoping for a breakthrough in research endeavors?

Of course keep taking precautionary non-panicky measures like diligently and consistently washing our hands as highlighted above.

These are indeed times for drastic measures especially if you are in Lagos with a population of some 20million people. Four people are gone already, no thanks to Mr. Sawyer and about 178 contacts are presently being monitored.

So we are to keep maintaining strict personal hygiene inclusive of the ritualistic washing of hands and sanitizing per second...
Also explore every avenue to keep your abodes clean and free of germs, bacteria and viruses.
Keep bottles of hand sanitizers handy where there is no access to soap and water.

(Let the hand sanitizer manufacturers keep smiling to the banks until this is over)

This too shall pass..

Lovely people, please keep safe and keep taking these measures. The sun will shine on this Continent again.

May the souls of all who have gone rest in peace and may the sick regain strength and help from these experimental drugs.

May our health workers fighting to contain this evil virus be protected and may there be a major breakthrough soon. Very soon.

*Missed you all...Ila, Sykik, Stephanie, New Dawn, Favored Woman and all my lovely visitors and 'anonymouses'...God bless y'all*

Again, stay safe.

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