Though the dreaded Ebola
virus caused Nigerians pains and anguish when it was ravaging the nation, an educationist in Rivers State says Nigerians have so much lessons to learn from the ugly development.
The principal of Holy Rosary College Port Harcourt, Barr Vero Efika, who made the observation in an interview with The Tide said before the arrival of the virus Nigerians were taken the issues of personal and environmental hygien for granted remarking that Ebola has rekindled the people’s consciousness to cleanliness.
“People who return from the market and farms, on seeing well –wishers and friends, they shake, huge and embrace each other forgetting that one could be carrying infections desease that could easily be passed to others, she said.
Efika also noted that because the infection started from the highly placed in the society and so received quickly attention of the government stressing that if it had began from the lowly placed especially in the local areas, may be it could not have received the kind of attention it did.
Another lesson, according to her was that when the virus started form Africa, the advanced countries of the world felt it was an African thing and were not ready to accord it the urgent attention it needed until today that it has spread to those developed countries the world is seriously seeking for solutions.
She said Ebola reminded us to change our orientation especially the way we do things and observe good hygien and allow the rest for God who controls the universe.
On steps taken by her school towards checking the virus, the principals explained that from the entrance get to classrooms, officers and hostels the college community and visiors are regularly reminded of what to do.
At the strategic positions, there are where you have to wash your hands, the are disinfectants she said adding that in the hostels, two students are no longer to buse the bathroom at sametime but each student.
The educationalist further disclosed that sueezing pattern has changed in the schools as, you don’t need to close your mouth with you hands while coughing or sneezing but you bend your ankle to cover your month as the palm you use to cover the month could be infected and as you shake the next person, it could be passed on to him or her.
She also said authroiteis of the college invited a medical expect to deliver lecture to students and teacher son the virus adding that at every devotion period, students were reminded of what to do.