[Editor's Note: Salim Yakubu Akko is a Nigerian essayist, poet, and writer, and our first guest contributor to this blog.]
By Salim Yakubu Akko
Pandemics are diseases that cause outbreaks in a particular geographical area, spread generally and affect the large number of population living in a particular continent and the world at large. These pandemics include: Covid-19, Lassa Fever, Ebola Virus, HIV/AIDS, Influenza and so on.
The strongly built walls of the world are now facing an inevitable fall due to the increasing emergence of these deadly pandemics. This is easily understandable considering the unspoken effects they have on individuals and the world at large in everyday life. The life of individuals in these societies has become very frightening and tedious, for which some people have choosen death rather than living in these monstrous pandemics now bedeviling the world in every sector.
The rate at which death increases everyday has become more rampant and fearful. It had been observed and totaled that over three million of people have died due to the current quick spreading Covid-19 pandemic. And many more affected personalities are dying everyday due to this pandemic. And, millions of people had lost their lives due to the other outbroken deadly spreading pandemics in the world in the past years .
The impact of these pandemics on the world economy is another great and worrisome factor. The economic growth of countries has been greatly disrupted, especially the African countries where the stability of their economy has been weakened, leading the entire continent into extreme hunger and poverty. We can all see that during these pandemics, there is no importing or exporting goods for sale to other countries. Even in our hometowns, none will tend to come out with the intention of buying or selling something. And, since we all know there's a direct connection between the educational sector and economic growth in any country, and due to the closing of schools, the economy of any particular country would be weakened.
The educational sector in the world has also been greatly affected due to these spreading pandemics. Students that are supposed to graduate in 3 to 4 years end-up graduating in 5 to 6 years, due to the long wait between the schools reopening and the pandemic periods. The most devastating issue is the graduating of unqualified students; because of the long wait, the students would however forget the lessons they were taught during lectures.
The role of societies in tackling these quick spreading pandemics can not be underestimated. Societies are the back-bone and rigidity that will be needed to bring these deadly viruses to an end. This can be easily seen by looking at the roles that society should play in tackling the spreading pandemics.
Every member of a society has a role to play in tackling the pandemics. This role depends on the discipline one has chosen in his career. As a sociologist, a doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher, pharmacist and so on, you can all play a vigorous role in tackling these pandemics in one way or the other.
First, as a Doctor, the role that you should play in tackling the pandemics is by ensuring every member of a society maintain their personal hygiene. Since some pandemics exist as a result of uncleanliness and if every member of a society would maintain personal hygiene by cleaning himself, the rate of these pandemics will effectively be reduced.
As an Environmental Health Scientist, you also have a role to play in tackling the pandemics. This can be done by ensuring all the surroundings are cleaned. When you observe that a particular society is full of dirty materials, you should advise the members of that society to clear the dirty surroundings in order to avoid the outbreak of these contagious diseases.
Sociologists can help extensively in abating the pandemics by interacting, orienting, and mobilizing people. By doing this, people that are not well oriented on the effects of the pandemics to individuals in a society will then become better oriented and play a wholesome role in tackling the pandemics.
As a Teacher, you should ensure that social distancing is observed in the classes, school premises, and so on. This is a major role you should play to tackle these pandemics. By maintaining social distancing in the schools, the spread of these pandemics will be drastically reduced.
As a Laboratory Health Scientist, You should ensure that every member in a society has a medical check-up. Ensuring regular health check-ups will play a great role in tackling the pandemics. Some pandemics may not show their symptoms on a particular infected person for a long time. One who you might think is in good health may not actually be, and until he has had a medical check-up, you can not be assured. These pandemics could easily spread among the nation when one does not have medical checkup.
The role 'you should play' as a member of a society in tackling the pandemics is by avoiding eating animals that might carry the deadly viruses. Such animals are; monkeys, dogs, bats, etcetera. As researched by scientists, the great percentage of viruses were brought mostly by animals. As they said, "The 2014 Ebola Virus and the current Corona Virus Pandemic, Lassa Fever, and so on were brought by wild animals." According to them: Lassa Fever was brought by a Rat, the Covid -19 was brought by Pangolins, and Ebola Virus by a Bat.
Ensuring the good health of animals should also observed. Some animals, as reported by Zoologists, are very dangerous and could contain the deadly viruses. Every society should check the health of all the animals living in a particular society.
A Historian is also not left out. We all know and believe that history is the book that teaches us the lessons of Today. As a Historian, you should write books on the pandemics that occurred in the past and how they were curbed. People will however learn from this and use those ideas of how they were tackled and experienced in the past and now be able to manage it the same way as they did in then.
As a Pharmacist, the role you should play in tramping out the pandemics is indeed a great role. You should extensively be doing research of the pandemics and invent new kinds of medicines that will fight against the pandemics.
Engineers should invent machines that will help in studying the pandemics, machines to help make medicines and so on, and by inventing these machines, the societies will find it easier in playing their roles in tackling pandemics.
I strongly, vigorously, and wholly believe if every member of a society uses their disciplined careers in tackling pandemics, there will be no pandemics in the world within a blink of an eye.
Salim Yakubu Akko
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