Wednesday, 25 March 2020

Combatting the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): Use IPP mnemonic (Part 1)

Novel Coronavirus. It’s a global pandemic ravaging the world. It started in December, 2019 in a city named Wuhan in China, and then the disease spreads rapidly across the globe. In order to avoid discrimination, the World Health Organization (WHO) named it Coronavirus Disease 2019, shortened as COVID-19. The disease is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV2. Currently, according to the worldometers.info (March 24, 2020, 21:30 GMT), total cases of Coronavirus worldwide is 417,663. Total deaths stand at 18,605, while the number of persons who have recovered is put at 108,312.

The disease has spread to Nigeria. The index case (first case) in Nigeria was a 44-year-old Italian man who was diagnosed of COVID-19 on the 27th of February, 2020. Since then, the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria has risen to 44 (latest tally released by ncdc.gov.ng as at 6:15pm, 24th March, 2020).

COVID-19 is a viral infection and viruses, unlike bacteria and fungi, are notoriously difficult to treat. For example, take HIV. It took years to get effective HIV medications. However, this virus has an important difference when compared to HIV. While HIV is spread by blood and bodily fluids, COVID-19 is spread mainly by respiratory droplets. That means an infected person spreads it by coughing or sneezing. This mode of transmission makes this Coronavirus spread quite rapidly. Currently, there is no effective or approved medicine or vaccine that can be used to combat COVID-19. The treatment of patients is largely supportive, meaning that you treat the symptoms: if the patient has fever, you treat the fever, if he/she has difficulty in breathing, you treat that, with the hope that the person can eventually make enough antibodies that can overcome the disease.

It most be noted that 80% of those who have the disease will experience no or mild symptoms. So, someone can have the infection without knowing he or she has it. Such an individual can transmit the virus to others, even though he/she feels just fine. However, most of the transmissions are caused by persons who are symptomatic. The commonest symptoms are fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Now, of the remaining 20% (remember we said 80% will do well even when infected), about 15% will require admission to the hospital, while 5% will be so sick that they have to be admitted for intensive case in ICUs (intensive care units). As at March 3, 2020, WHO put the case fatality rate at 3.4%. That means, if 100 persons were to get infected, about 3 to 4 persons may die from the disease.

Majority of deaths occur in the elderly, those aged 60 years or more. Also, many of those who die have what we call an underlying condition or comorbid illness. What that means is that many of the patients who succumbed to COVID-19 have other diseases, chronic illnesses, before they contracted the Coronavirus. Examples of these chronic illnesses include hypertension, diabetes, cancer, etc. These illnesses tend to weaken the immunity of these patients, and that makes them much more vulnerable to the devastating effects of the Coronavirus. That said, people younger than age 60 still get infected, still get sick and still die from the disease, just not as high as the rates seen in the elderly populations. More importantly, young persons are capable of transmitting it to others. So, if you are young, don’t think that you are scot-free and that you can do whatever you want. Don’t be selfish! Think of your health and that of others as well.

Interestingly, children younger than 19 years do quite well when infected. The number of children that die or get very ill with the Coronavirus is low. Some studies report no deaths amongst children who are infected. It is a fortunate development and researchers are intrigued by it. Research is been done to find out why children are largely spared. However, everyone is capable of transmitting the virus to others. Let’s always remember that.

Now, seeing that the best strategy we have in dealing with the Coronavirus is prevention, what can we do in this regard? I have coined the mnemonic IPP. It’s easy, catchy and effective in getting ready for the fast-spreading COVID-19.

IPP stands for Inform, Prepare, Protect. It can be used by individuals and heads of any organization or of a group of persons.
Individuals. Ask yourself these simple questions:

Am I Informed (well-informed) about COVID-19? (I)
Am I Prepared for COVID-19? (P)
How can I Protect myself? (P)

I
Information is key. Get yourself informed about the Coronavirus. There are lots of reliable sources of information online. For example, WHO has a link on WhatsApp. You can use that link and by typing ‘Hi’, you get automated responses with correct and authentic information. The link is http://bit.ly/who-covid-19-whatsapp. Other credible online sources include: ncdc.gov.ng, who.int, google.com/covid19, cdc.gov, etc. if you don’t have access to the internet, you can listen to news program on radio or television.

P
Preparation is important. A whole town, State or Country can be put on lockdown, as a way of mitigating or slowing down the rate of spread of COVID-19. That means no movement, except for essential services. So, ask yourself, if you are asked by the authorities to stay home for 2 weeks or 1 month, if not longer, do I have the basic essential items I need at home? Do I have food stuff that will last for 2 weeks or 1 month in case the marketplaces are closed? Do I have water, toiletries, alcohol-based hand sanitizers? Do I have some drugs at home, things like paracetamol, cough syrup, and other over-the-counter drugs? Am I hypertensive, diabetic, asthmatic, do I have medications that will last for at least a month? Preparation involves getting all these things, and keeping some money with you for emergencies. Remember, the banks, pharmacies, markets, and other business places may be shut in a quarantine.

P
How do I protect myself? What are those preventive measures I can take to protect myself from getting infected?
Thorough and regular handwashing with soap and water. If soap and water are not immediately available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as often as possible. Remember to also wash your hands with soap and water as soon as they are available to you. Handwashing kills the virus.
Stop touching your face with unclean hands.
Learn cough etiquette. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with tissue. Dispose off the tissue immediately, then wash your hands. If no tissue is available, don’t cough into your hand, rather, use your bent elbow.
Practice social distancing everywhere you go. Social distancing means keeping a distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet) between you and others, so that if the other person coughs or sneezes, the droplets won’t land on your body.
You can’t maintain social distance in a large gathering. So, avoid large gatherings. The COVID-19 has been spread widely by large gatherings. In Uruguay, an infected individual hosted a large party. Of those who attended that party, 44 persons ended up testing positive to the Coronavirus. In South Korea, an elderly lady, coded Patient 31, who had the disease attended a service in a secretive Church, Shincheonji, and ended up infecting so many people. More than 60% of the confirmed Coronavirus cases in South Korea can be traced to that Church.
Avoid handshakes, hugs, kisses, or personal contact, except with uninfected close family remembers. Don’t forget, some persons are asymptomatic, and yet transmit the virus.
If you can stay at home, please do. If you can work from home, please do. It helps to limit your contact with others.
Avoid the custom of visiting every sick person you know, except you are the direct caregiver. Call them, even video call them, instead.
Limit visitors and guests to your house or workplace.
Have a good night sleep of about 7 to 9 hours. Adequate night sleep helps your body to build immunity to viral illnesses in general.
Stay physically, spiritually and mentally fit. Do your exercise at home. Use your phone and social media to stay in touch with others. Read books and watch programs that will uplift your spirit. Take the time to develop your spirituality and other healthy personal practices. Pray. Meditate. Be gracious. Take the time to know your spouse and kids better. Please, keep your mind and body healthy even while at home.

Remember

I.        Be informed
P.       Be prepared
P.       Protect yourself

May God help us!

……To be continued….

@ Dr Eugene Ojirigho (just a concerned physician) eugeneojirigho@yahoo.com, dreugeneojirigho@gmail.com, @EugeneOjirigho (Twitter)

Thursday, 17 April 2014

Joke: Log of Wood!




One man woke up one morning and realized he was sleeping naked on the floor of his room and all his properties were gone. He recalled that he slept on his mattress fully clothed the night before and his properties were intact. What went wrong?

The stories goes with some tweaking:

While he was asleep, thieves entered his room and took away all his properties. The thieves realized that even with all the noise, the owner of the items was still sound asleep. 'What the hell!' They decided to move the owner from the mattress to the bare floor and then carried out the mattress. Even then the man was still asleep. Then they noticed that the man was putting on an expensive shirt, belt and trouser. So, they decided to remove the man's clothes; yet, the man slept on. They even removed his boxes without stress. Finally, they left a note for the man:

'Hello, Sir! Are you a log of wood? Don't worry, we shall come back for you when we have a suitable buyer.'

Henceforth, this man was nicknamed LOW (log of wood).

©Dr Eugene’s Column (http://dreugeneojirigho.blogspot.com/)
©Dr Eugene’s Blogs (http://dreugeneoji.blogspot.com/)

Joke - Oga!



I once met a guy whose name was Orga. Some pronounce it like 'Oga' (which means master; used to address a worker or someone with more seniority). When Orga was in primary school, his teacher asked him, 'What's your name?' He replied: 'Orga.' The teacher thought he said 'Oga.' The teacher was so upset that he started flogging the student, 'Are you mad? Do you expect me to call you 'Oga'?' The student cried, 'Master, Master, that is my name ooo...'

Imagine Orga went to work as a driver to one rich man (original Oga). One day, the rich man was expecting some important guests he's not met before. When the guests arrived, the rich man called out to his driver, 'Orga, please come, the guests have arrived.' The visitors thought that Orga was the original Oga they came to see. Before long, they were paying homage to Orga. Orga shouted, 'No, no, no, I'm not the Oga. See my Oga.' Imagine the confusion. Anyway, the issue was clarified. After the guests left, original Oga told his driver, 'Orga, we have to change your name before you use your funny name to take over my business.'

©Dr Eugene’s Column (http://dreugeneojirigho.blogspot.com/)

©Dr Eugene’s Blogs (http://dreugeneoji.blogspot.com/)

Monday, 14 April 2014

Overqualified Applicant





One company advertised for cleaners. On the day of the interview, a number of persons showed up. There was this man who showed up with his credentials: B.Sc, M.Sc, etc. The interviewers were surprised and wondered why a man with such qualifications be applying for a cleaning job.

When it got to the man's turn, he was asked: 'Sir, why did you apply for this job? You have enough qualifications to get you a better job.'

The man replied, 'I'm intrigued about the art of cleaning. I often wonder about the simple pleasures of the cleaner. The cleaner does the job of wiping away the dirt, the ills, the wrongs of others.... Think about the science of cleaning. The use of antiseptics. Do you know the origin of the first antiseptic? Do you know the wealth of history behind that simple yet profound discovery?.....'

This man kept talking and talking and talking... After one and the half hour of lecture on the art and science of cleaning, the interviewers, who did not know the answers to his questions, knew what was going on here. All was not well.

©Dr Eugene’s Column (http://dreugeneojirigho.blogspot.com/)
©Dr Eugene’s Blogs (http://dreugeneoji.blogspot.com/)

Sunday, 22 September 2013

Jokes: ‘ekoloma demba’ ‘malo nogede’, Timaya, na witch level?


Back in the days, I fell in love with Timaya’s music. Loved it, men! Inspirational Dem Mama soldier. Nowaways, Timaya’s music has taken a different turn. What is ‘malo nogede,’ ‘ekoloma demba’?
I decided to go online to find out what those words mean. I entered Google and I typed, ‘What’s the meaning of ‘ekoloma demba’, ‘malo nogede’?
Google Pidgin English replied:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hmmm…. My friend, such words do not exist in our current lexicography.
Abi, you don smoke igbo (Indian Hemp)?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

My reply: abeg, nor be quarrel! Lexi… gini? That na Pidgin English? (Mschew.........)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Na joke ooooooooo!

Sunday, 11 August 2013

Joke – Acute changes in physique!


There was this guy whose physique changes rapidly with the amount of money he has. If he gets much money today, by tomorrow he will grow noticeably fat. If he loses that money in the morning, by evening time, he’s lost all the weight. One day, he got a call that a huge amount of money was deposited in his account. As he was walking to a bank ATM Machine, this guy started adding weight along the way. When he got to the ATM, there was a queue. He waited for a while, adding more weight. When it got to his turn, to his surprise, there was no money in his account. Do you know what happened? This guy started shedding weight immediately. He kept checking and checking again. When he finally confirmed that there was no money in his account, this guy…….
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Disappeared in thin air to the great surprise of those waiting on the line!

#ASUUstrike


I went to the bank the other day and I saw many old pensioners on a long queue cursing and arguing. I thought about the pains these pensioners go through and I remember the many pension scams I read about. It made me wonder: Why do government officials find it easy to mess up pensioners and pension funds? The answer: They can’t go on strike. #ASUUstrike
Some say that going on strike is not the solution to problems and that there are other ways to resolve issues. Dialogue they say should be the only way. Well, let me ask, please, when was the last time the government made any changes in worker’s welfare without being been edged on by a strike? Give me one example. Check those sections of the government where people can’t go on strike; they suffer most: pensioners. Maybe #strikologue is better: dialoguing while on strike. #ASUUstrike
Some people oppose strike actions, but they don’t reject the dividends of those strikes. When doctors went on strike for CONMESS, some elders in the medical profession were opposed to the strike. But when the strike yielded increased pay, they did not reject the pay. ‘Who nor like better thing?’ #ASUUstrike