Nigeria sets example in fight against Ebola

More than 1,800 Nigerian medical workers were employed to trace and monitor the highly suspected cases, clean the contaminated spots and treat the patients. Some of them were infected with the virus and even lost their lives. The doctor who treated Sawyer was one of them. This contrasts starkly with the fact that in some countries some doctors and nurses refused to treat Ebola patients for fear of being infected and even fled the hospitals.

The Nigerian government has also provided support for regional countries. It has shared with other countries its experience, donated millions of dollars to the affected West African countries and helped train medical staff from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. More than 600 Nigerians have volunteered to provide assistance to the three countries.

In fact, Nigeria is not fighting the war against Ebola alone. The WHO laid out a road map against Ebola and coordinated international assistance for the affected countries, including Nigeria, with the UN setting up the Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.

China took the lead in assisting some African countries in their fight against Ebola. A Chinese chartered airplane carrying medical provisions landed in Sierra Leone on Aug 11, setting an example for other countries to follow. On Sept 18, the Chinese embassy in Nigeria announced that Beijing would provide more medical assistance to Nigeria.

Although Nigeria has been declared Ebola-free, this is not the time for complacency, especially because other West African countries are still battling the disease. Accordingly, Nigerian President Jonathan has urged all Nigerians to remain alert against another outbreak of the disease. This should be a lesson for other countries and their leaders.

The author is a Beijing-based scholar, specializing in international politics.

(China Daily 11/01/2014 page5)