From Sawyer nemesis to global positioning:
ACROSS the African continent and
the world at large one thing everyone seem to be focused on is how to contain the
dreadful Ebola Virus from further spreading, especially through the use of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, reports ITRealms.
The importance of ICT tools
mostly for education of the populace or public enlightenment on specific issues
like Ebola Virus cannot be over-looked, hence, it was not surprising for Nigeria
to allude its success in curtailing the spread of this virus since the visit of
Liberian Patrick Sawyer to Lagos.
ITRealms recalls that Ebola virus was
introduced into Nigeria on 20 July 2014 when an infected Liberian Patrick Sawyer
arrived by aeroplane into Lagos. Mr. Sawyer was declared dead at the FirstCity
Hospital Obalende, five (5) days later. This also set off a chain of
transmission that infected a total of 19 people, of which 7 died.
ICT tools to the rescue:
Some experts have classified ICT
tools to include devices and objects used in ICT sector to deliver invaluable person-to-person
service moreso instantly; for example the computers, mobile phones and cell phone
towers, televisions, video conferencing software, radios, laptops, Digital
Video Display (DVDs), network of hardware and software, satellite systems as
well as various services and applications associated with the aforementioned.
Taking the lead on these tools, ITRealms gathered, is the software
application associated with a given campaign, especially at this era of Ebola
epidemic across the world but spurred by social media applications.
According to the Minister of
Communication Technology, Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson,a combination of social
media tools was instrumental in Nigeria’s fight to contain the Ebola virus.
Speaking in a policy statement delivered at the ongoing International
Telecommunications Union ITU 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-14) in Busan,
Republic of Korea, Dr. Johnson told delegates made up of Ministers and senior
government officials from across the globe, that with Ebola, time is of essence
to the fact that mobile device apps helped in reducing reporting times of
infections by 75 per cent.
“Test results were scanned to
tablets and uploaded to emergency databases and field teams got text message
alerts on their phones informing them of the results,” she revealed.
The combinations that worked for
Nigeria:
Dr. Johnson restated that the
combination of the internet and mobile cellular phones has opened up tremendous
opportunities for countries like Nigeria. Maintaining that there are vertical
increases in mobile use, which has been driven by a number of factors,
particularly, the additional ways in which mobile phones are being used in
Nigeria.
She stressed that beyond
conducting voice conversations, mobile phones are often the preferred channel
for receiving data and for conducting transactions in Nigeria thereby making
phones an indispensable tool used as-cameras, wallets, shops, music players,
movie screens, and information or service centres of Nigerians.
Nigeria’s policy focus Johnson
noted, is in line with the reality of the mobile internet revolution spreading
across the globe- thus, the Ministry of Communication Technology is looking to
create a viable environment for the proliferation of lower priced devices, increased
investment in network infrastructure, and increased availability of spectrum
for mobile broadband, in the knowledge that these will further drive growth in
the nation’s ICT sector.
A path to National ICT Policy
implementation:
Johnson also disclosed that
through the implementation of the National ICT Policy, National Broadband
Roadmap, and Guidelines for Nigerian Content in ICT, the Ministry is bringing
greater clarity and predictability to the Nigerian ICT sector.
She stated that in the past four
years, Nigeria has seen mobile subscription increase from 87 million active SIM
cards to over 131 million and mobile internet subscription stood at 67 million
as at June 2014.
The Ministry’s policy framework,
Johnson said aligns with the ITU’s Strategic Plan for 2016-2019, particularly its
identified goals and targets of growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and
innovation and partnership.
ICTs adds 12.05 to GDP:
The ICT sector’s contribution to
Nigeria’s GDP is growing and was about 10.44 per cent in 2013. The sector also
indirectly impacts GDP through its influence on other key sectors; for example,
in the 2013, ICTs were responsible for 12.05 per cent of the value added by the
Finance and Insurance sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In terms of social growth, Mrs.
Johnson added that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are helping
government to meet health objectives and amplifying benefits in the education
and agriculture sectors respectively.
According to Johnson, the ITU’s
growth priority of enabling and fostering access to and increase use of
telecommunications through ICTs, resonates with Nigeria, both economically and
socially.
Nigeria is also using
telecommunications and ICTs to build a more inclusive society. Just as she
said, the Broadband initiative which Nigeria is currently implementing across technologies
and at various levels of governance, aligns with the Union’s priority of bridging
the digital divide and providing broadband for all. Furthermore, these
initiatives, Johnson reiterated are mindful of the needs of women and girls, as
well as other marginalised groups of the Nigerian society.
Nigeria is Ebola free says WHO:
Although the successful
containment encouraged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to tell the world on
October 20, 2014 that it has satisfied Nigeria to be free of Ebola outbreak.
According to WHO recommendations,
the end of an Ebola virus disease outbreak in a country can be declared once 42
days have passed and no new cases have been detected. The 42 days represents
twice the maximum incubation period for Ebola (21 days). This 42-day period
starts from the last day that any person in the country had contact with a
confirmed or probable Ebola case.
“Today, 20 October, Nigeria
reached that 42-day mark and is now considered free of Ebola transmission,” WHO
officials declared, and commended the Nigerian government’s strong leadership
and effective coordination of the response that included the rapid establishment
of an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).
How Nigerians mobilized against Ebola:
WHO equally pointed out that when
the first Ebola case was confirmed in July, health officials immediately
repurposed technologies and infrastructures from WHO and other partners to help
find cases and track potential chains of transmission of Ebola virus disease.
WHO, United States Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), United Nations
Children Fund (UNICEF) and other partners supported the Nigerian government
with expertise for outbreak investigation, risk assessment, contact tracing and
clinical care.
Strong public awareness campaigns,
teamed with early engagement of traditional, religious and community leaders, also
played a key role in successful containment of this outbreak.
ITRealms gathered from Fadéla Chaib,
Communications Officer, World Health Organization that the Nigerian government
and staff in the WHO country office are not unaware that the country remains
vulnerable to another imported case. The surveillance system remains at a level
of high alert.
Nigeria has revised its national
preparedness and response plan to ensure that the country is well prepared for
other imported cases of the disease.
Today, there is regular campaign
in the media across the country on Ebola and despite the containment, these
campaign have not stopped, thus commendable.
Ebola hotspots:
ITRealms further gathered that WHO has develop
partnerships to introduce serum treatment in Ebola hotspots such as Liberia,
which is currently experiencing the highest incidence of Ebola infections.
Serum, BBC reports, is simply
blood from recovered patients which contains antibodies which can help fight
off disease when transfused into sick patients.
WHO Assistant Director General
for Health System and Innovation, Dr. Marie Kieny, was quoted as saying that a
facility in Liberia may be ready to start harvesting and treatment of serum in
a matter of weeks.
“There are partnerships which are
starting to be put in place to have capacity in the three countries to safely
extract plasma and make preparation that can be used for the treatment of
infective patients,” Dr Kieny said.
Nigerians applaud federal government:
For many other Nigerians, one
good thing about the use of enlightenment tools like ICT to deliver information
needed as far as the containment effort of the government was concerned in the
country was the ability of the political class to draw a line between politics
and true enlightenment and public good, coupled with prayers of Nigerians, who
have been previously ranked as very religious nation.
Speaking to ITRealms, Emma Okonji believes that the
efforts of the government and leadership of the country, Nigerian’s prayers
were heard because even churches took extra steps to augment their faith in
prayers by introducing sanitizer usage among members.
He cited an instance with the
Catholic Church in Lagos State Archdiocese as waking up to its responsibility
to stop the direct giving of Blessed Sacrament into the mouth of faithful, instead
education was introduced for Catholics to receive their sacrament by hand and
take it themselves.
This position, he said, was endorsed
by the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and was not surprised that other churches
and religion played their parts on this without undue sentiment.
ITRealms notes that sooner than fear of
the Ebola virus was made known across Nigeria, Catholic priests were directed by
the Bishops to by-pass the traditional rite of peace during masses.
The rite of peace equally known
as ‘sign of peace,’encompasses shaking hands of fellow congregants, which tends
to build religious communion and mutual charity among members, according to
Catholic Online.
Conclusion:
Although one thing that has started
to emerge is the politics of Ebola containment in the Nigerian polity, which
follows the Federal Government’s global recognition, especially by WHO for this
achievement, but the Lagos State government which is under a different party -
the All Progressive Congress (APC) party claimed its effort superseded that of
the federal under another, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
One may not be taken by surprise
come 2015, that Ebola and its containment could assume the political life
trend. Only time shall tell as the desire
of Africans and Nigerians remain on the sustained containment of Ebola likewise
other epidemics in the world.
The Nigerian nation must not
forget the warning of WHO that Nigeria remains vulnerable to another imported
case, invariably, due to the way other African countries and their citizens,
especially in the West Africa sub-region view and see Nigeria as their own
United States in Africa.
Therefore, the surveillance system
should remain at a level of high alert as if WHO never gave any clearance.
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