Happiness Chidinma Opara's Blog

Thursday, August 21, 2014

OMG: See What Liberian Soldiers are Doing to Residents of Ebola Slum - Graphic Photos

Liberian soldiers opened fire on residents of a slum in their country's capital city today after it was locked down in an effort to contain the spread of Ebola virus.

According to DailyMail, people ran screaming as soldiers from the country's Ebola Task Force brutally enforced a quarantine of Monrovia's West Point district ordered by the country's president last night.

See photos below:

The chaos in Monrovia erupted after protesters surrounded the home of the West Point's commissioner, Miatta Flowers, pictured below, blaming her for the decision to turn their neighbourhood into an open-air isolation ward.

Soldiers carrying assault rifles lashed out at residents with telescopic truncheons and at least one man was shot as a security team moved in to evacuate Mrs. Flowers. A resident of the West Point district told the Associated Press by phone that security forces were firing into the air to disperse crowds angry over the quarantine measures.

West Point Commissioner Miata Flowers is escorted out of the slum by members of Liberia's Ebola Task Force.

Some relatives of Mrs Flowers are led away from the slum, which has been sealed off by soldiers and police.

Over the weekend also, a mob attacked and looted an Ebola screening centre, accusing officials of bringing sick people from all over Monrovia into their neighbourhood. Dozens of people waiting to be screened fled in the chaos. Looters made off with items, including bloody sheets and mattresses that could further spread the virus.

In many areas of the capital, meanwhile, dead bodies have been in the streets for hours, sometimes days, even though residents asked that the corpses be picked up by health ministry workers wearing protective gear.

Riot police and soldiers have now sealed off West Point with makeshift barricades built from piles of wood and barbed wire. Ferries to the area have been halted, and a coast guard boat was patrolling the waters around the peninsula. At least 50,000 people live on the half-mile-long point, which is one of the poorest and most densely populated neighbourhoods of the capital. Sanitation is poor even in the best of times, and defecation in the streets and beaches is a major problem. Mistrust of authorities is rampant and many people live without electricity or access to clean water.

Liberia's strict new measures came as medical authorities there said three infected doctors treated with an experimental drug were showing signs of recovery, although it was not certain if it was thanks to the drug. Announcing the quarantine, as well as a wider curfew, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said last night:

'We have been unable to control the spread due to continued denials, cultural burying practices, disregard for the advice of health workers and disrespect for the warnings by the government.'As a result and due to the large population concentration the disease has spread widely in Monrovia and environs. May God bless us all and save the state,' she later added.

Members of the Church of Aladura pray on the beach in Monrovia, Liberia. They said they were praying for God to rescue Liberia from its current crisis

Liberian soldiers opened fire on residents of a slum in their country's capital city today after it was locked down in an effort to contain the spread of Ebola virus.

- See more at: http://www.lailasblog.com/2014/08/graphic-photos-liberian-soldiers-open.html#more

Ebola Survivor Reveals How She Beat It and Gives Words of Encouragement to The Victims

Gloria Tumwijuke is among a handful of survivors of a 2012 Ebola outbreak [23 cases with 17 dead] in the Kibaale district of western Uganda. She has spoken out about what Ebola did to her body, how she beat it, and what it was like return to a community where everyone was afraid of her.

How did you come into contact with the Ebola virus? I was seeing a mother who had had a pregnancy for five months, and she came into the hospital bleeding. The mother was bleeding in the mouth, nose, and ears. They carried her into the hospital on a mattress, and the mattress was covered with blood. She couldn't talk. I was getting her history and found out her relatives had passed away, her husband died. All of her children died.

I started cleaning her, putting all the fluids in her, giving her antibiotics. After removing the fetus, she kept severely bleeding. The baby was already dead. I cared for her for six hours but eventually she died. She had Ebola. I ended up getting Ebola.

Were you wearing protective gear — gloves, a gown, a mask — when you cared for this patient? When she came in, I was putting on gloves. I didn't put on boots. I didn't have a gown. I was trying to remove the placenta from her, and blood gushed on me, on my arms and body. I cleaned myself quickly because I was worried. Then I continued to help her.

I realized I didn't protect myself very well. But the mother entered into the hospital very quickly, and I had to rush quickly to help her. She was going to fall off the bed, and I was trying to support her. I didn't have time to put on my gown. This taught me to protect myself before I do any procedure.

At that time, did you suspect this woman might have Ebola? I didn't even know Ebola was in Uganda. At that time, Ebola had not yet been known in my region.

When did you realize you had the virus? A week after my patient died, I started vomiting. I started having diarrhea and sweating. I started hearing people talk about the virus in the same hospital in which I was working. I read in the newspapers that they were talking about suspecting the virus was here. But after I saw I had all the signs and symptoms of Ebola, I remembered the pregnant lady, and she had all the signs. That's when I suspected I had the virus.

What happened next? I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. They took a sample of my blood, and told me I had Ebola. They transferred me to an isolation room, and started to care for me. They put fluids in me through an IV, and gave me antibiotics. They were monitoring me frequently. I couldn't move from the bed. I couldn't talk. I couldn't do anything. I lost 25 pounds. I was in the hospital for one month when they discharged me.

What were you thinking when you got the Ebola diagnosis? In my head I was like, 'I'm going to die.' I just thought I would die. My sister said, "You're not going to die." I couldn't talk. I was worried about the people who touched me before they knew I had the virus. When they told me they were going to keep on treating me, I was worried about my friends dying. I can't believe I am alive.

Did you give anyone the virus? No, no one I know got the virus. The laborers who were caring for (the pregnant woman), all of them died.

When did your condition start to improve? I was discharged from the hospital after one month. After two months, I started to improve. But I still had problems. I was forgetting a lot. My hair was falling out. The hair from my head was all over. My skin was peeling off. I weighed 25 pounds less. I had heart palpitations. The hair took months to grow back. My memory was bad for one year.

How did people receive you when you returned to your community? They ignored me, thinking I still had a sickness because they think Ebola can't (be survived). They hide from me. People would run away from me. They were not willing to be near me. But the hospital discharged me because they were sure I was free from Ebola. I showed people (my discharge) certificate. They started to believe I was okay. When I showed them the certificate, they started to welcome me.

When your friends were avoiding you, how did you feel? I didn't feel bad because it is their right: Ebola spreads when you contact other people who have the virus. But I could feel some stigma when they ran away from me.

This virus can kill up to 90 percent of those who get it. Why do you think you survived when so many others die? I had my sister who is a medical person. She could go and buy all the drugs, fluids, and antibiotics for me. She was by my side. She changed my dirty sheets. She knew how to prevent herself from getting Ebola by using protection. My husband is a nurse. He was also helping my sister to treat me and be careful. He could pray for me. When I survived he was so happy.

Did you ever feel any guilt being one who lived while so many others don't? When I hear other people die, in my heart I feel like god really loves me. Because many people died and he left me in the hospital. When I'm hearing of other people dying, I feel bad. I feel like maybe I lived because I had a lot of help. I had IV fluids. My heart tells me maybe if those people could have good nurses who can offer their services, maybe those people really can survive.

Have you experienced any long term side-effects from the virus? Actually I'm good. I don't have any problems. After four months I was back to normal. The thing that persisted for the whole year, it was forgetting. My memory was bad. Also I couldn't resume my period for five months.

In this current outbreak, a lot of health-care workers have died from Ebola, and now there's fear and people are walking off the job. What advice would you give to other health workers in an outbreak? When you put on protective gear and you're not in direct contact with the person's (bodily fluids) you can treat them and they get better. People need to understand that because, if we didn't have health-care workers who help us, who didn't run away, what would we do?

How are you feeling when you read the news about this outbreak in West Africa? I'm praying for those people who are very sick. I'm praying for the health workers too. I am just praying so they can also survive like me. I'm just imagining they should get enough care, which I needed. Enough care, enough treatment so they can also come up and be a survivor like me.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Open Letter To Patrick Sawyer’s Wife, Decontee Sawyer: You are as Selfish as your husband

I saw this open letter written by Peace Williams of Peace Ben Williams Blog and decided to share it...

Below is the unedited letter;

Dear Decontee Sawyer,
I am moved to write you this letter based on your recent open letter defending why your husband decided to infest Nigeria with the fatal Ebola virus.
I had refrained from penning my thoughts on how irresponsible your husband’s behaviour was, mainly because he was a human being who had a right to life like myself and also because he had left loved ones like you and his children behind who miss him everyday.
However, your recent letter has convinced me that you deserve no pity whatsoever and has prompted me to enlighten you on what you seem to have so deliberately ignored.
You and your husband are full-fledged citizens of the United States of America. Everybody knows that the medical system in the United States is far more advanced than that of Nigeria. So if your husband’s sole intention was to seek medical help, why did he not contact the health authorities in the America?
Nigeria does not have the best health care system in Africa and that is a fact. If you and your husband were reading the news, you’d have known that a lot of Nigerians travel to South Africa, India and the UK for medical attention. I’m stressing this fact for non-Nigerians who may not understand how the system in my country works. No Nigerian would take your callous excuse with a pinch of salt!
You had the nerve to apologise to your friends, Catherine and Josh for “contacting them so early.” But you didn’t deem it fit to pay your condolences to the family of the two nurses who died from caring for your sick husband? What about the ECOWAS staff who died because he had primary contact with your husband while helping him in Lagos? Did they also not “have a passion for life”? Do you think these people wanted to take a chance with their lives when they knew their loved ones also depended on them?

I heard unconfirmed reports that Patrick Sawyer‘s late sister was engaged to be married to a Nigerian who fled Liberia when he heard that she was infected with the Ebola virus, leaving Patrick with no choice than to care for his sister. This was why Patrick came to Nigeria on a vendetta mission to pass the virus. I also heard he urinated on the nurses who cared for him; yelling in anger when he was told that he had EVD.
I dismissed these stories as unfounded rumours, until Nurse Justina Obi Ejelonu gave an eye witness account of how irrationally your husband behaved while on admission in a Lagos hospital-yanking off his IV infusion and squirting blood on the nurses and janitors. Justina was a young, intelligent and ambitious lady who was full of life. Your husband cut short her dreams and the dreams of many others by one careless act of boarding a plane to Nigeria.

What’s going on now in Nigeria? I’ll tell you! A nursing mother and her breast-feeding baby were infected with EVD when they visited the hospital your husband died in. Scores of Nigerians are being quarantined in Ebola isolation centres; their work, businesses and daily hustles paralyzed. People are panicking all over the country. At least two people have died from drinking concentrated salty water because they were pranked into believing that salt and water were a cure for Ebola. The Nigerian government has given out 1.9 billion naira (about $11.8million) to fight the spread of Ebola in the country. This was not in the initial national budget. The resumption date of schools in the country may be postponed indefinitely until the virus can be contained. This means that students preparing for external exams such as WAEC and SSCE may be adversely affected; the whole school calendar will be affected. I’m surprised you didn’t acknowledge the impact your husband’s deadly visit is having on the most populous nation in Africa.
Instead, you dismissed the efforts of the medical team who risked their lives to handle your husband as “ironic.”

CCTV footage showed your husband avoiding contact with people at Monrovia airport, some reports even say he was rolling on the floor in pains at some point. Sebastian Muah, who until recently was the Liberian Deputy Minister of Finance for Fiscal Affairs, said in an email to PREMIUM TIMES that the late Mr. Sawyer deceived the Liberian government into believing that he was “Ebola Free’’. He LIED to the Liberian government that he had no contact with his younger sister who died of the disease on July 8 and that he had voluntarily subjected himself for testing which showed he was free of Ebola.

Nigeria was free of Ebola until July 20 when Mr. Sawyer arrived. He became terribly ill on his flight and was rushed to the First Consultant Hospital Obalende, Lagos, where he died on July 24. Since then, a nation of over 160 million people are being faced with a fast-killing disease they have no idea about how to handle. We had no prior knowledge of how to combat this disease, so why would your husband choose Nigeria of all places for “help”? If we were so ‘competent’ why are we begging foreign countries to send us experimental drugs?

Decontee Sawyer, you owe the government of Nigeria and its people an apology. You also owe your Liberian president, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf an apology because she has not failed her country like you claim. Your letter has portrayed you as a callous and selfish woman just like your husband. I leave you to your conscience.

I may not join other Nigerians to say “may Patrick Sawyer rot in hell,” because I believe I may not have the right to say that. But the name of Patrick Sawyer will always resound as a man who brought death to the most populous nation in Africa. A man who gifted Nigeria with no beneficial service, but a ZOMBIE VIRUS. I will always remember Patrick Sawyer as a medical terrorist.

Yours Truly,
Peace Ben Williams

Terrorist Patrick that brought Ebola to Nigeria

Why I Joined Stoke City –Victor Moses

Stoke City’s latest signing, Victor Moses, says he’s hoping to make the fans proud during his season-long loan from Chelsea . The Nigeria international, who agreed the move from Stamford Bridge on Saturday, also revealed he turned down a number of opportunities to play for Mark Hughes’ Potters for the 2014/15 campaign. The pacey forward, equally adept up front and out on the wing, could now be in line to feature in Stoke’s game away at Hull City on Sunday. “I’m very delighted to be here,” he told Stoke City Player. “I spoke to the manager before I came and it looks as though the Club is moving in the right direction. “I had a few options to go to other clubs but when I heard about Stoke I knew that they had a good manager and I thought it would be good to come here and work under him. “He’s a great manager, and was a great footballer too, and for me to play under him will be a great achievement. “I just want to give 110% to the club and hopefully we will achieve what the club are looking to do this season.” Moses arrives at the Britannia Stadium following a summer playing alongside Peter Odemwingie for Nigeria at the World Cup. Participating for their country in Brazil has meant an extended break for both players, but Moses hopes he can hit the ground running to feature as much as possible after a loan-spell with Liverpool last year proved to be a disappointing time. “I didn’t play as many games as I would have liked to at Liverpool last season but that’s football and I’ve got to put that aside,” he added. “The most important thing now is that I’m at Stoke and I’m here to help the club achieve what we’re looking for this season. “I want to enjoy my football when I’m out there, to score goals and create chances. “As long as I’m enjoying my football then that is the most important thing. “I’m here to do a job for the club and I’m very pleased to be here.

Source: Sugar Sport

Ebola Scare: Woman smashes man’s head for hugging her

A young man got his head smashed for allegedly hugging a woman who was afraid of contracting the deadly Ebola virus in Ajah area of Lagos State. It was gathered that the woman whose identity was given as Bunmi got angry when her friend, Ademola Ojikutu, held her from behind without her consent. Bumi’s sister, Yemi, said her sister was afraid of contracting Ebola and had since refused to shake anyone, including her (Yemi). Leadership reports that Bunmi was discussing with her sister, Yemi at Ilaje area when Ojikutu held her from behind. Yemi said her sister was enraged and, out of anger, picked a bottle from a nearby beer parlour and smashed it on his head. She said blood gushed out from his head and people had to rush him to a nearby hospital in the area.

We were discussing at Ilaje area when Ojikutu held her from behind. Bunmi was enraged and, out of anger, picked a bottle from a nearby beer parlour and smashed it on his head. Yes, I am not happy about what my sister did but the man was also wrong to have held her from behind, after all she is not his lover.” Yemi had narrated.

Ad