First it was the ALS ice bucket challenge. Now it's
the gratitude challenge she said!
Her statement got me thinking. The ALS ice bucket challenge became so popular on
social media. People from all parts of the world had fun with it. But what is
this ALS all about?
The ALS Association is the only non-profit organisation
whose mission includes providing care services to assist people with ALS and
their families through a network of chapters working in communities across the
nation and a global research program focused on the discovery of treatments and
a cure for the disease.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive
neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal
cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal
cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the
motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor
neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle
movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients
in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralysed.
The ALS ice bucket challenge was a way to raise
awareness on ALS and funds for research on the disease. This organisation is
based in the United
States of America.
Some people who took part in this challenge were
Nigerians and other people from West African countries. It is a great cause, no
doubt. I am sure people suffer from it in Nigeria
and it has not been given as much attention as it requires. On the other hand, I saw a
few videos of people attacking anybody from West Africa
who took the ALS ice bucket challenge for the obvious reason, EBOLA! That drove
the message home. We have Ebola killing people so fast that an entire nation
could get wiped out. Should that attention not have been given to Ebola
awareness and raising funds for research on Ebola?
Now
my point is, why do we follow blindly?
What is this Ebola virus?
According to the World Health Organisation, here are
some key facts:
- Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
- EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
- EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
- The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
- Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
- Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.
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| This is what the virus looks like under a microscope |
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| What the virus looks like in 3D |
Transmission
- Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the
blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa,
infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees,
gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines found ill or dead
or in the rainforest. People can get infected from direct contact (through
broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other
bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments
contaminated with such fluids.
Men
who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their
semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.
Signs
& symptoms - EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the
sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver
function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory
findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver
enzymes.
The
incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to
onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days.
If
we have a disease as deadly as this taking lives on a daily basis, this would
be the most appropriate thing to talk about or raise awareness on, don't you
think?
The
outbreak began in Guinea
in March 2014 then spread to Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
This has been the worst outbreak of any disease in the history of these
countries.
A Liberian - American, Patrick Sawyer on July 20th
entered Nigeria from Liberia,
bringing the deadly virus with him. Other countries whose nationals suffered
from the disease are, the USA,
Spain
and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although, what was identified in Congo
was said to be of a less dangerous strain than the one found in West
Africa.
Nigeria
has so far contained this disease very well. Unfortunately, the country has not
been cleared of it as some people are still under observation. The same cannot
be said of other countries like Liberia
and Sierra Leone
as they are overwhelmed with the whole situation. It is now a world worry as
the disease could get to any country. Different countries are supporting in
ways they can.
Anyway,
now the gratitude challenge is ongoing and I think it is a great initiative.
Having to remind ourselves of what we should be thankful for everyday, despite the many things to worry about. You
could never go wrong with giving thanks. When I got nominated, I wondered what
I would write for seven whole days. I passed. The I got nominated again, I thought to myself to stop being a kill joy and just go ahead with it. Since I started, I have enjoyed writing about the many things to be grateful for.
Beyond the seven days gratitude challenge, I have decided to keep giving
thanks. Instead of complaining, we can show more appreciation. It changes the outlook
on things. Try it, will you?
References:
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