Its no longer news that the Coronavirus Pandemic is spreading like wild fire.Many people don’t understand why the growth rate is sporadic and spreads fast.
An experienced medical doctor told City people Online why.
Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, a Public Health Specialist was a Consultant Health Specialist with the World Bank, he was also a forner HIV and Health Adviser to the UK-DFID in Nigeria. He was Commissioner for Health, Ogun State, 2015 – 2019.
Presently he consults for the Bill and Melida Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, Malaria Consortium UK, etc.
According to Dr lpaye what the world is facing right now is a serious issue.
The Corona Virus or Covid-19 pandemic is a global public health tragedy of immeasurable health, social, psychological and economic consequences. Every continent of the world are in need of help simultaneously and international assistance have become almost impossible unlike other previous public health problems of recent past.
The world is heading towards a global recession that is worst than that of 2008 and that can only be likened to a post world war era.
Dr Ipaye says
The Corona virus situation in Nigeria is better described as an Epidemic that started from the major cities. Over 80% of the initial 120 cases were imported from Europe and community level transmission has remained low.
However, this level would have been better managed if the international boundaries have been closed earlier especially air transport from high burdened countries. Nigeria therefore acted a bit too late.
It is worthy of note that despite the delayed action, the national response is appropriate in terms of content and strategy but needs more push in terms of scale and quality.
The establishment of national and state levels emergency operation centres (EOCs) has allowed for effective coordination of national actions.
During the interview ,Dr Ipaye revealed a lot about Coronavirus .
The virus unique attribute of droplet or airborne transmission makes susceptibility global. Everyone irrespective of age, sex or social behaviour is susceptible. The ability of asymptomatic carriers to transmit the virus is the single most important challenge every country is facing irrespective of the level of the health system.
Nigeria needs to learn from countries that have flattened the Covid-19 curve and adopt combination of strategies deployed by these countries
Dr Ipaye revealed why Coronavirus spreads fast.
He said it is because
Corona virus like other RNA viruses depend on the cells of the host to replicate leading to the serial damage of those cells while it infects others.
The longest incubation period between infection and manifestation of symptoms is 14 days, this informed the isolation of exposed individuals for that same period of time.
The human to human transmission is through droplets from sneezing, coughing, kissing, touching of contaminated surfaces and other forms of direct or indirect contacts. It is also believed that corona virus can be excreted for additional five weeks following clinical recovery of an infected patient.
The virus has predilection for mucosal lining of the respiratory and intestinal tracts thereby presenting with respiratory and or gastrointestinal symptoms.
The exponential rise in cases is attributable to the mode of transmission where a single episode of cough or sneeze produces thousands of droplets on several surfaces. Some of these droplets can even survive for up to 4-24 hours on different surfaces.
The role of asymptomatic carriers in infection spread is also inestimable
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