Eradicating Hepatitis

ERADICATING HEPATITIS IN NIGERIA       

No rational man boasts of anything if his health condition is at stake. Suffice to say; a healthy life remains the most precious possession that ever comes to a man regardless of his/her status or age.

In the world today, there are millions of illnesses or diseases in existence coupled with the ones that seem to have no specific cause or cure. Among these diseases, some are often referred to be stubborn regarding their mode of cure while some are seen to be deadly. No doubt, hepatitis is one of those stubborn or deadly illnesses in existence. 

Hepatitis is a medical condition which is defined as an inflammation of one of the most vital organs in the human body known as the liver. It is usually characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The inflammatory condition can be self-limiting or can heal on its own; but on the contrary, it can progress to fibrosis or cirrhosis.

Hepatitis may occur with limited or no symptoms, but often leads to jaundice, poor appetite, and a feeling of unease. It is referred to as acute when it lasts less than six months, and chronic when it persists longer. Globally, hepatitis viruses are the most common causes of the condition, but hepatitis can as well be caused by other infections, autoimmune diseases, or toxic substances such as alcohol, certain medications, and some industrial organic solvents and plants.

Initial features of acute hepatitis are of non-specific flu-like symptoms, which are invariably common to almost all acute viral infections, and may include fatigue, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea diarrhoea, vomiting, and headache. More specific symptoms which could be present in acute hepatitis from any cause are profound loss of appetite, aversion to smoking among smokers, excretion of dark urine, and abdominal discomfort.

A small proportion of people with acute hepatitis usually progress to acute liver failure, in which the liver would be unable to remove harmful substances from the blood thereby leading to confusion and coma due to hepatic encephalopathy. The acute liver failure may also result to the production of blood proteins which often leads to peripheral edema and bleeding.

More so, a chronic hepatitis, which is commonly identified through blood test, is usually characterized with no symptoms at all. It often leads to the presence of jaundice which indicates advanced liver damage. On physical examination, there may be enlargement of the liver. In the same vein, women with autoimmune hepatitis mostly experience abnormal menstruation, lung scarring, inflammation of the thyroid gland and kidneys.

Apart from the aforementioned two major classes of hepatitis, it is invariably grouped and recognized by medical experts based on its common causes. On this note, the different types of hepatitis in existence that are widely recognized include, Viral hepatitis, Alcoholic hepatitis, Toxic and drug-induced hepatitis, Ischemic hepatitis, Giant cell hepatitis, just to mention but a few. The most common causes of viral hepatitis are the five unrelated hepatotropic viruses known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses.

Tuesday 28^th July, the world over commemorated the 2015 World Hepatitis Day. The event, which is observed annually on July 28, was inaugurated by World Health Organization (WHO) under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to raise global awareness on hepatitis or a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, and to encourage the prevention, diagnosis, as well as the treatment of the disease.

The first global World Hepatitis Day was marked on May 19, 2008 through the effort of the World Hepatitis Alliance in collaboration with various patient groups. The commemoration received an international endorsement following the adoption of a resolution during the 63^rd World Health Assembly held in May 2010. The date of the event was later changed to July 28 of every year by the Assembly, in honour of the birthday of Nobel Laureate Baruch Samuel Blumberg – the man who discovered the hepatitis B virus.

There is an estimate that hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide thereby causing acute or chronic disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year. Currently, approximately five hundred (500) million people worldwide are suffering from either hepatitis B or hepatitis C. If left untreated or unmanaged, hepatitis B or C can lead to advanced liver scarring known as cirrhosis and other complications including liver cancer or liver failure.

While many people worry more about contracting diseases like HIV than hepatitis, the reality is that every year, at least 1.3 million people worldwide die as a result of either hepatitis B or C faster than they would in the case of HIV/AIDS. Needless to say that, hepatitis is indeed a deadly disease. Considering this fact, it is pathetic and devastating to note that many hepatitis carriers are yet to realize that they are living with the disease.

Hepatitis groups, patients as well as advocates worldwide, take part in series of events on every July 28 to mark the World Hepatitis Day. The World Hepatitis Day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns being marked by the WHO.

As Nigeria joins the international community to commemorate the event, there’s need for collective support as regards creation of awareness on this silent killer known as Hepatitis. The World Hepatitis Day provides an opportunity to focus on actions such as:

v Raising awareness on the different forms of hepatitis, their common causes and how they are transmitted.

v Strengthening prevention, screening, and control of viral hepatitis and other related diseases.

v Increasing hepatitis B vaccine coverage cum integration into national immunization programmes.

v And lastly, though not the least, coordinating a global response to hepatitis.

At this juncture, it is of no need saying that, all hands are expected to be on deck towards ensuring that this killer disease that has been a colossal societal menace for decades now is duly eradicated. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)
_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056 
Twitter: @fdnnwaozor  

 

Teaching: Respected but Vulnerable Profession

TEACHING: RESPECTED BUT VULNERABLE PROFESSION

No doubt, every right thinking person eagerly wishes to know what he/she does not or is yet to know. Such attribute can be referred to as ‘Man’s quest for knowledge’.

In the same vein; for anyone to acquire any form of knowledge, he must be taught by someone or something. In a situation whereby the knowledge recipient is being taught by a non-human such as book, internet or as the case may be, it is worth noting that that material or avenue through which he acquired the knowledge was invented by someone or a human.

Someone who imparts knowledge to other person(s), directly or indirectly, is generally referred to as a teacher. In a concise term; a teacher is someone who teaches others better ways of doing something or a better way of living. He can also be described as someone who helps or contributes meaningfully in the uplift of someone else’s educational status/level. In other words, teaching is simply the act of imparting knowledge.

This singular fact has proven to us that anyone can be identified as a teacher, considering the relationship that exists between the persons involved. But it would interest us to acknowledge that, there are those or group of persons who embrace teaching as a profession. This set of people could be regarded as ‘Institutional teachers’.

In most cases, the institutional teachers are the ones that are often recognized as ‘Teachers’ owing to the fact that they are the only persons that bring out their time, energy, resources, and what have you, to the fullness, to ensure that knowledge is fully and duly obtained by its seekers. Among all, anyone who practices teaching or who takes teaching as a profession, must had passed through a certain professional educational training in any recognized higher citadel of learning.

In view of the outstanding impact of the teaching profession in any society, there is no gain reiterating the fact that it is no doubt a respected profession, but it is appalling to observe that the members of the said profession in most countries across the globe are seemingly vulnerable regarding their financial worth.

In several nations, particularly developing ones, it is disheartening to note that this set of people known as teachers whom had contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of the respective nations, are treated poorly or badly as regards payment of salaries and other incentives. It is even more pathetic and disgusting to note that in some quarters, these professionals whom are meant to be the leading class are regarded as second class if not third class citizens.

If the truth must be told, then we all must agree that it is only an insane individual that is yet to comprehend the fact that teachers are the building block of any nation. Needless to say; they remain the rudiments or foundation on which any nation is built.

The civil society and other stakeholders are expected to encourage the teaching profession by ensuring that the following conditions are reached by any employer:

v Good and enticing employment conditions including appropriate contracts, salaries, and prospects for career progression and promotion.

v Conducive and charming work environment.

v High quality pre- and in-service training.

v Effective management to include a teacher’s recruitment and deployment.

The law makers in their oversight function are expected to play a very vital role in respect to this proposal. A strict law regarding teachers’ wellbeing could be enacted with a view to boosting the effectiveness and efficiency of the said professionals in Nigeria.

The international community and various governments need to stand firm and united to support teachers as well as quality learning worldwide, especially in those countries where the highest number of out-of-school children exists. In this regard, they are meant to acknowledge that an education system is only as good as its teachers.

Above all and most importantly, the various existing teachers’ unions or organizations are also required to support their respective governments in the area of maintenance of sanity in our schools. By so doing, anomalies like mediocrity, laxity, apathy, truancy, among other nonchalant attitudes of some teachers would be totally eradicated.

The proposed measure if properly implemented would enable any teacher anywhere in the world to proudly identify him/herself as ‘a Teacher’ regardless of the circumstance.

 

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056
Twitter: fdnnwaozor   

Bad Governance: Who's to Blame?

BAD GOVERNANCE: WHO’S TO BLAME?

Governance is the process in which the leaders or the public office holders of a given society make and implement decisions with the prime motive of affecting the lives of the citizenry positively. Governance is said to be ‘Bad’ when the outcome is not favourable to the people.  

Good governance is accountable; it is transparent; it follows the rule of law; it is responsive; it is equitable; good governance is effective and efficient; above all, it’s participatory. Any democratic process that bears the reverse of the aforementioned qualities or features is referred to as ‘Bad governance’. 

It is apparent that governance is interwoven with democracy owing to the fact that it is only in a thorough and holistic democratic setting it (governance) can be observed. Surely, democracy begets politics and in the same vein, governance is begotten by politics; there are no two ways about it.

To say that governance has been profoundly abused in the contemporary Nigerian society is merely an understatement. Suffice is to say; the level of decadence in governance in the various developing nations across the globe, particularly Nigeria, cannot be overemphasized.

To say the least; since the emergence of democracy in ‘the Giant of Africa’ sixteen years ago, governance has been perceived by our leaders as an inconsequential tool thereby making the said society seem not unlike a mockery ground. It is no doubt a thing of worry for the concerned elite as well as the patriotic individuals amidst the overwhelming populace.

One may ask; who is actually to be blamed in a nation or society where governance is not taken seriously or where bad governance is generally absorbed as a norm? Indeed, such inquiry could be tagged as a ‘critical and very sensitive’ one, which requires only but an unequivocal response.

In some quarters, bad governance is solely attributed to the corrupt nature of the leaders involved coupled with impunity. Whilst, some are of the opinion that it is a product of extreme insincerity and mediocrity mainly on the side of the members of the legislature. On the other hand, another school of thought is of the view that good governance would remain far-fetched in a country like Nigeria until the country’s electoral umpire becomes thoroughly independent.

Without mincing words; from my perspective, bad governance, which is peculiar to the African society in its entirety, is mostly not unconnected to the uncalled and unwarranted attitude of the followers. Someone who’s interested in further clarification may want to know who ‘the followers’ are. The followers are the electorate or the general public, or those who are not occupying any leadership position. In other words, if you are not a leader, you are definitely a follower.

At this juncture, I put it up to you that the citizens have been the singular cause of their predicament as regards governance. Yes, until the citizenry realize that leadership and followership are interdependent, they will continue to get it wrong. It is high time we understood that without the followers, the leaders cannot perform. Needless to say that, the leaders cannot function without the presence or effort of the followers.

This implies that, much as we presume that power only belongs to the leaders, we ought to also comprehend the fact that the teeming followers have some elements of power, albeit seemly intangible, attached to their personalities. The dichotomy is that; the leaders have the power or immunity to lead while on their part, the followers have the power to sack any leader if the need arises. Of course, the followers rightly possess the power to move ‘Vote of No-confidence’ on any executive office holder or recall any legislator, as the case may be.

It is so pathetic that the followers’ power has been bewildered by various factors such as sycophancy, apathy, vulnerability, and ignorance. It is obvious to the sight of those who are not mentally blind that the aforementioned factors, among others, have been militating against the functionality of the people’s power/immunity.

Most of those who are fully informed have chosen to be sycophants; they go about singing praises or citing eulogies come rain come shine. Some other informed ones are invariably marred by apathy with a silly presumption that the said political cankerworm is indelible. Similarly, another fairly informed class seems defenceless; this set of persons who appear vulnerable could be very powerful if they apply ‘synergy’ but their myopic mindset ostensibly beclouds their sense of reasoning. On the other hand, a certain group among the followers is not in any way aware that power also lies in their hands; unarguably, their ignorant mentality has caused them a tremendous fortune.

The most annoying part is that most of the followers in question don’t know when to tender criticism. They prefer to remain mere spectators over their so called leaders’ derailment. Even, some of them who call themselves ‘activists’ have in one occasion or the other soiled their reputations.

Perhaps, it is needless to reiterate the fact that good governance will remain a mirage in the contemporary African society till the electorate acknowledge fully that leadership and followership are wholly interwoven. Frankly, the followers have been the architect of their recurrent misfortune. In view of this singular fact, the civil society organizations, the media, religious bodies, and what have you, need to intensify awareness on letting the people realize their responsibility towards actualizing good governance. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)
_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056
Twitter: @fdnnwaozor