Following an interview last week with Dennis Akagha who survived the
Ebola virus after losing his would-be wife, Justina Ejelonu, to the
deadly disease, the young man is still in the news. What is it this
time, you may ask?
Even as Dennis has been declared free of EDV, he is still a victim of
social stigmatisation. This has isolated him from the society since
the last couple of weeks as people still refuse to socialise with him,
making it difficult to get some of his daily needs. But the young man
is attracting positive international attention.
(Photo: Dennis Akagha and Late Justina Ejelonu)
His survival and humaneness displayed while nursing his Ebola stricken
spouse impressed many. Now, the international media and some agencies
are after him for interviews and social events after he exclusively
recounted his moving story to Vanguard last Saturday.
Denis was the fiance of Justina Ejelonu, the nurse at First Consultant
Hospital in Lagos who contracted the Ebola disease after attending to
Patrick Sawyer, the American-Liberian who wickedly brought the disease
to Nigeria.
Justina was a graduate nurse and was just employed by First Consultant.
She was two months pregnant and her first patient on her first day on
duty was Patrick Sawyer. She contracted the disease, suffered
miscarriage and died at the quarantine centre in Yaba, Lagos. Denis
attending to her while she was sick and even at the centre where she
suffered neglect.
He too caught the virus days later but was one of those who survived.
In another chat with Vanguard this week, Dennis lamented how he is
being stigmatised by friends, neighbours and customers adding that
living with the social stigma was frustrating.
"I am lonely and bored now, people don't come to me anymore. Even my
usual friends before the incidence, are keeping me at arm's length.
They don't believe I am free of the virus. I have never been so lonely
in life. Living with the social stigma is one terrible thing," Dennis
cried.
But he has become a much sought-after man by both international and
local media. According to a close source, CNN, Al-Jazeera, e-News
among others as well as local journalists desirous of getting
headlines are after him.
Agencies and donors have also established contacts with Dennis with
some of them offering one assistance or the other. Right now, Dennis
may be on a journey to a redefined person with some consolation.
As at press time, two international donors have indicated their
readiness to support Dennis both financially and morally. According to
a close source, the donors will assist him in making the dream of
immortalising late Justina come through. Dennis had recently said that
he would set up a non-for-profit organisation to immortalise his late
fiancee and also to champion the campaign on preventive measures
against Ebola virus.
While Dennis battles the emotional plague left by Ebola, Nigerians
particularly those who have been following the story rationalised that
lack of adequate care by medical personnel on Ebola patients could be
one of the reasons why patients run away from the isolation centers.
Joseph Adebambo, a Lagos-based dentist called on medical personnel to
rise up to the challenge to save lives.
"After reading the story in your paper (Saturday Vanguard) I was close
to tears. I want to believe Justina could have survived the crisis if
there was adequate care. To me, it seemed medical personal did not
have enough protective measures in going any extra-mile to do what
they are supposed to do," Adebambo said.
Kennie said:
This brave and compassionate young man's account of what goes on
inside the Yaba Ebola treatment facility seems to be the only
independent assessment of the condition inside there. Before now, all
the stories about the "great efforts" towards containing EVD are all
coming from Federal and LASG officials. The story gave an insight to
what is going on in the treatment center."
Grace Notibe reacted thus: "She passed through this mess in spite of
millions of naira (FG announced N1.9b) claimed to have been earmarked
and praises are being heaped on GEJ, FG, Onyebuchi, Fashola and LASG
for taking care of Ebola victims. There is God ooo"
"A touching story. Thank God for His mercies, your life was spared and
I believe God has a purpose for that. I praise God for you," another
reader said.
Joris Bronen in his comment posted online said:
"May God be praised, nothing can change our faith. God comes first in
our life. The death of his wife-to-be shows how careless Nigeria
doctors always act. They don't attend to patients promptly. The
American survived because they gave proper care to the Ebola patient.
Culled from Vanguard
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