₦airaland Forum

By Florence Amagiya
He and his wife-to-be had lofty dreams of living fulfilled
lives and raising wonderful children together. The fiance
was two months pregnant and their traditional marriage had
been fixed for October.
His fiancee, a graduate nurse, had just secured a job at First
Consultant Hospital, Lagos. He too also just got a
marketing job with an oil and gas company. She was
reluctant to go to work on the first day she was expected to
resume on account of ‘morning sickness’ (pregnancy
symptoms) and he encouraged her.
She did! Lo and behold, her first duty and first patient to
nurse on her first day at work was the late Patrick Sawyer,
the Liberian-American, who brought the deadly Ebola Virus
Disease (EVD) to Nigeria. And that decision put a full stop
to the lofty dreams of a promising family. Welcome to the
world of Mr. Dennis Akagha, the husband-to-be of late
Miss Justina Ejelonu, the nurse, who contacted and died of
the Ebola disease from Mr. Sawyer.
In an exclusive, explosive and passionate interview with
Saturday Vanguard, Akagha, who contracted the disease
from Miss Justina, was quarantined, treated, cured and
discharged last week, spoke on how and why his fiance
died, how he contacted and survived the disease, how he
was stigmatized and abandoned by co-workers and
neighbours, and why victims must be given adequate care.
He said perhaps, Justina would have survived with better
care. Read on:
---His thoughts on Ebola and late Justina
The truth is that Justina and I were not legally married, we
were planning for our traditional marriage in October and
she just got this job. She was a qualified graduate nurse
and got the job at the First Consultant Hospital in Lagos.
She resumed duty at the hospital on the 21st of July, while
Patrick Sawyer was admitted at the hospital on the 20th.
He was her first patient. She was one of the nurses that
nursed him. She was pregnant and so her immune system
was weak, which made it easy for her to contract the
disease. On that first day which was a Monday, she was
having some pregnancy symptoms, but I just encouraged
her to go because it was her first day at work. Sawyer was
her first patient.
The next day, Tuesday, she didn’t work on Sawyer.
Wednesday and Thursday, she was off. Then on Friday,
Patrick Sawyer died. They didn’t know he had Ebola, it was
three days later that they realized it was Ebola.
Dennis Akagha and Late Justina Ejelonu
---When did you know that she had contacted the Ebola virus?
It was after Sawyer died that she told me she nursed him
but that she was on gloves. She even thanked God that she
didn’t have direct contact with him. The fever continued and
we thought it was just pregnancy symptoms and even when
she went to her hospital, they confirmed the same thing.
She took drugs and ran tests, yet it persisted. At night, she
was usually cold and feverish and her body temperature
was usually very high. At a point, I began to suspect that
she had contacted the virus. I did some research on the
disease and realised that she was having similar
symptoms.
On the 14th of August, it became serious, she started
stooling and vomiting. I had to clean up everything. All of a
sudden, she started bleeding and she started crying that
she had lost the pregnancy. I had to call her relatives and
other people. The bleeding persisted and I had to clean up
everything.
---While you were attending to her did you wear gloves?
Initially I was not wearing gloves because I felt I had
already been exposed to the virus. But later I cautioned
myself and started wearing nylon on my hands. But I
couldn’t stay away from her. I kept consoling her. Even
when I took her to the hospital, she wanted to hold me and I
told her to also consider my safety. She managed to hold
herself and was able to find her way out in a pool of her
blood. We chartered a taxi to the hospital, but first, I took
her to First Consultant Hospital because I felt they should
know more. When we got there, I was directed to IGH, Yaba.
I told the taxi driver to take us there. The driver wasn’t even
aware of what was going on as he took us to Yaba.
Justina was on the floor for 30 minutes before she was
attended to. She was screaming that she was going to die.
She was seriously bleeding, she had to come out of the taxi
and lay on the floor. I ran around, trying to get doctors to
attend to her. After everything, they took her in, took her
blood samples and the following day, the result came out
that it was Ebola. They washed the taxi with chlorine and
also bathed the taxi driver and I with chlorine spray.
At that point, the taxi driver knew what was going on, he
couldn’t even take me home because he was so scared. I
had to look for somewhere to pass the night in the hospital.
Early the next morning, I left the Hospital. The taxi driver is
alive today, nothing happened to him. We have been
checking on him and the last time we spoke he told me, he
was fine.
---So what happened after you got exposed to the virus?
14 days after I was exposed to Ebola, my temperature rose
from the usual 35.2 degrees centigrade to 37.2. The Lagos
State government gave me a thermometer the day I dropped
Justina off at the centre. It took them two straight weeks to
visit my home and to disinfect it. Before they came, I had
already done the much I could do. I used bleach and
detergent to clean the whole house, furniture and clothes
inclusive.
---After that, what happened?
We should be reminded and educated that a healthy person
with Ebola virus cannot get anybody infected, except if the
person is sick and totally down with the virus like what
happened to Sawyer and to my late wife-to-be, Justina. I
contacted the virus because Justina was very sick and I was
taking care of her without any appropriate protection. When
we knew what we were dealing with it was almost too late
for me as I had already contacted the virus.
---Since you had already visited the centre what else was done
for you by the state?
The Lagos State government sent health professionals to
check on me regularly to know how l was doing or if l had
the signs of the virus manifesting. So they used to come
around to check on me. At some point they created scenes
with their visits. I was embarrassed and I was stigmatized. I
complained severely to them that I didn’t like what they
were doing. Then, one Saturday they visited again, I
complained about the pains I was beginning to experience;
excruciating pains around my waist. I started praying and
asking people to pray for me.
Before this time, I believed in the Holy Communion, so I
usually take it daily and do feet washing. I was going to the
hospital daily to see late Justina. Initially, I was seeing her
through the window and she would say I should take her
out of the hospital. She complained of lack of care.
Perhaps, Justina would have survived the virus, if not for
the state she was in. Her immune system was down
because she was pregnant. Along the line, she had a
miscarriage and lost the baby due to the Ebola virus
disease.
The doctors, who were supposed to do an evacuation on
her couldn’t do it because they claimed that an evacuation
was too risky as she was heavily infected and may pass on
the virus to another person.
Since nothing was done even after the bleeding had
stopped, it led to more complications for her because the
already dead foetus somehow got rotten in the womb and
started a damaging process which led to further
complication. Meanwhile, she was still stooling and
vomiting and since nobody could dare to touch her, she was
left on top of her excretions even when she couldn’t do
much for herself due to her weak state. She was given her
incisions and other drugs. I believe if some people survived
Justina should have been one of them. At a point, I wished I
was a doctor myself; I would have taken the risk of doing
the evacuation because it really affected her.
---When was the last day you saw Justina?
The Lagos State Ebola quarantine centre and Late Nurse Obi
Justina Ejelonu
The last day I saw her, I had to go inside the ward because
she was so unkempt as nobody attended to her. At that
time, the quarantined patients were in the former facility
where there was no water and she had messed up herself
again. I had to look for water to clean her up, change her
pampers and arrange her bedding. Since I was aware of
what I was dealing with, I got myself protected while
cleaning up the place. I made sure she looked better than
when I saw her. Justina was shivering the last day I saw
her, one side of her stomach was already swollen, and her
legs were also swollen. I prayed for her. At a point, she
needed oxygen and the hospital couldn’t provide it. Her
friends had to provide it. That was the last day I saw her.
On Sunday Morning, I called her line like I usually did
before visiting her, but she didn’t pick her calls. When I got
to the hospital, I was told that she was dead.
Was she taking your calls while she was at the facility?
Yes, in fact she called me that last day and I knew she was
going to give up, because she was saying some funny
things. She said I should tell my people to go and meet her
father so as to finalize our marriage plans, that she’s
leaving that place.
---From what you have said, were you not scared that you may
die as well from the disease?
I personally don’t believe in taking medications. I had the
mentality that I wasn’t sick. I told the government what I
was experiencing. On the day they came to pick me up for
treatment, all of a sudden, my temperature went back to
normal. The shivering and pains were all gone. So they
decided that they would be checking on me. But it got to a
point people stopped selling things to me. It was as if the
government got a report that I shouldn’t be around. So, they
came and said I should go with them that they wanted to
take my blood sample. I went with them and they took my
blood sample, I was kept in a ward known as the ‘suspected
ward.’
The result came out and it was positive. I was then taken to
a confined ward. One of the doctors from UNICEF, a white
lady told me that they were having issues with the results
and that they would have to re-run the tests. They did the
tests again and it was still positive. I told them that it
wasn’t my result and that I was healthy. I was even doing
my usual exercises (press-ups) every morning. I kept
telling them that I wasn’t sick. They took my blood sample
the third time. That night, they told me that I tested negative
in the last result and that I don’t have any reason to remain
there. That was how I was discharged.
---While you were going through all these at the facility what
happened to your job?
I was a marketer in an oil and gas company. I worked on
commission basis, but at a point, I realized that people
were not calling me and when I called they won’t pick my
calls. Even the person that I report directly refused to pick
my calls and also refused to associate with me. Justina and
I just got our jobs, she got hers at First Consultant Hospital
and I got mine as a marketer with the oil and gas company.
Do you think that the government or First Consultant
Hospital should compensate Justina’s family?
Although, no amount of money they give to the family will
bring her back I think the government owes Justina’s family
a lot because she died trying to save a situation. Justina
died in active service as her death wasn’t natural.
---So how did your status change from positive to negative?
I was reading a book on healing and taking of the Holy
Communion. So I learnt to take Holy Communion morning,
afternoon and night. I also engaged myself in feet-washing
every day before going to bed. The Almighty God saved me;
the Holy Spirit healed me. It wasn’t as though l didn’t fall
sick as l had direct contact with Justina but the Almighty
God healed me. When I was discharged, I got to my house
on Saturday evening and spent two hours the next day,
Sunday, thanking God on my own. I didn’t go to church or
anywhere because of the already established stigma but
today I can confidently attend church activities because I
guess they all know I’m free now. I know my faith and belief
healed me. God also worked for me apart from the fact that
my immune system is also working. I believe I got healed
also because friends prayed for me.
www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/survived-ebola-dennis-akagha/

Melinde: See as the colour of her fingers match with that yam wey she dey eat sef

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

firstEVA: Its not proper atal, why live with a guy that has not paid your bride price, for me i cannot o, i can spend few days and go back to my own room.

story for the gods.

Ladystewie: This is serious
SO, any little contact could spread this disease

it wasn't a little contact. he escorted him to the hospital. that means he must have been holding and supporting the man to the hospital. that's maximum contact.
Help us oh Lord.

RUGBYGEE: Bagco's Body Bags aka BBB was in existent before now. The situation in some West African states now warrants seriousness with the way dead bodies are disposed. Sierraleone, Liberia and Guinea have started using double body bags for burying their bereaved. With or without Ebola, nations must revisit and strategize on sustainable and foolproof interment process and a way to curb future outbreaks. See a picture of BBB, a bag that allows no aeration nor percolation of any sort.

hmmmmm.......human beings..... is that a vaccine?

Three times and two of those times, Na for cell wey I dey see myself... it's well sha

yes

Jeeeezzzz..... Are you kidding me? @op

let's watch and see.

okay

Kendzyma: Mermaid using bra..smh

lol.... maybe she is Kim Kardashian version of mermaid.

10.THE HOLY GRAIL;CHRISTIAN MYTHOLOGY
One of the most well-known pieces of Christian mythology is the Holy
Grail. It’s the cup (or bowl) which Jesus drank from during the Last
Supper, and it was a widely sought-after relic. It was also believed to
be the container with which Joseph of Arimathea caught Christ’s
blood as Christ was on the cross.
King Arthur and his knights journeyed far and wide, searching for the
Holy Grail. Only the purest souls were able to grasp it, and Sir
Galahad was said to have gained immortality by virtue of being the
only man able to touch it.

9.AMBROSIA;GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Ambrosia is the drink of the Greek gods. Said to taste like honey,
ambrosia was delivered to the Olympians by doves and was the
source of their immortality .
Various mortals and demigods were given the privilege of drinking of
it, like Heracles, while some stole it and were punished, like Tantalus
—who was trapped in a pool of water, with food always just out of
reach. His name and story is the origin of the English word “tantalize.”
Others almost tasted it but were turned away at the last moment, such
as the hero Tydeus, who was going to be made immortal by Athena,
until the goddess caught him eating human brains.

8.THE GOLDEN APPLES;NORSE MYTHOLOGY
The Norse Golden Apples are different from their Greek counterparts
because they’re extremely important to the Norse deities. All of the
Norse gods needed the apples to maintain their immortality and
eternal youth, and Idun, the goddess of spring, was the keeper of their
orchard.
When she was tricked by Loki and handed over to the giant Thiassi,
along with the apples, the Norse gods began to grow old and their
power waned. With their last bit of strength, they forced Loki to
retrieve Idun and the apples. He transformed himself into a falcon,
retrieved Idun and the apples, and the gods regained their youth.

7.AMRITA;HINDUISM
Amrita is a Sanskrit word which almost literally translates to
“immortality” in English. The Devas, or gods, were originally mortal or
lost their immortality because of a curse and sought a way to obtain
eternal life.
They teamed up with their enemies, the Asuras, or anti-gods, to churn
the Milk Ocean and create a nectar called amrita. The Devas ended up
tricking the Asuras into not drinking any of it by having Vishnu
disguise himself as a female goddess who could instill an
uncontrollable lust in anyone’s heart. Yoga masters are said to be
able to drink the amrita because the Devas spilled some of it in their
rush to keep it from the Asuras.

6.PEACHES OF IMMORTALITY ; CHINESE MYTHOLOGY
The Peaches of Immortality play a very large role in the Chinese epic
Journey to the West . Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was chosen as
the Protector of the Peaches and ended up consuming one of them,
which bestowed upon him 1,000 years of life. He escaped at first, but
was later captured. Of course, since he had also eaten the Pills of
Immortality, Sun Wukong was unable to be executed.
He eventually went to war against Heaven and the gods had to turn to
the Buddha, who managed to trick Sun Wukong and trap him for five
centuries, after which he went on the quest outlined in Journey to the
West . The Jade Emperor and his wife, Xi Wangmu, were said to be the
planters of the peach tree, which only gave ripened fruit every 3,000
years. They gladly gave it to the other gods in order to keep them
living forever.

5.AN UNKNOWN PLANT; SUBERIAN MYTHOLOGY
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero is searching for the source of
immortality due to distress after his friend Enkidu dies, making him
fear his own death. His quest leads him to Utnapishtim, a Noah-like
figure who was granted immortality when he built a large boat at the
gods’ instructions to survive a great flood. Utnapishtim tells
Gilgamesh that his immortality was a special gift, but there’s a plant
of unknown origin and species, which could be eaten to achieve
eternal life. His description is similar to a buckthorn or a boxthorn,
depending on the source. However, after finding it, Gilgamesh loses
the plant to a snake, so we’ll never know if it would’ve worked.

4.CINNABAR;TAOISM
Cinnabar is the common ore of mercury and a central ingredient to the
Taoist elixir of immortality, which was called huandan (or “Reverted
Elixir”). They believed ingesting certain materials, such as cinnabar or
gold, would instill some of their qualities and rid the body of the
imperfections which kept it from obtaining immortality.
Unfortunately, most of the items which were ingested were poisonous,
and many people died, including many of the Tang Dynasty emperors.
Eventually, the idea of “External Alchemy” was changed to “Internal
Alchemy,” which was a way of harnessing one’s natural energy
through yoga and other practices in the hopes of gaining immortality.

3.ANGER A god;GREEK MYTHOLOGY
A common theme in many Greek myths involving mortals was the
punishment and danger of hubris, or extreme pride. Many mortals tried
to trick or challenge the gods, and all were punished, many of them
for all eternity. Earlier in his life, Sisyphus tried to trick Zeus and
trapped Thanatos, the personification of death in Greek mythology.
This led to a world where no one could die, which really bothered
Ares, the god of war.
So he was punished by having to roll a boulder up a hill every day,
only to have it roll back down every night. Another story involves King
Ixion who, already in trouble for murdering his father-in-law, went to
Zeus for forgiveness. While on Mt. Olympus, he made the mistake of
trying to rape Hera. Zeus found out and tricked Ixion with a cloud in
the shape of the goddess. He was punished by being strapped to a
flaming wheel forever.

2.TAUNT JESUS;CHRISTIAN MYTHOLOGY
In Christian mythology, there was said to be a Jewish man who
taunted Jesus during his walk to be crucified by hitting him with his
shoe and telling him to hurry up. Jesus then responded by telling him
that even though he was leaving, the Jewish man would have to stay
around until he returned.
Realizing what had transpired, the man took the name Joseph,
converted to Christianity, and was baptized shortly afterward.
However, the curse did come with some harmful side effects. He
wasn’t allowed to sit or rest at any time, except for a brief respite on
Christmas. And every 100 years, he would get incurably sick and go
into a fit for an indeterminate amount of time, after which he would
return to the age of 30.

1.EAT A MERMAID
In Japanese mythology, there was a mermaid-like creature known as a
ningyo . Described as a cross between a monkey and a carp, they lived
in the sea and would normally bring bad luck or stormy weather if
caught. (If they washed up on shore, they were said to be an omen of
war).
One particular myth involves a girl known as the “Eight Hundred Nun .”
Her father accidentally brought her ningyo meat, and she ate it and
was cursed with immortality. After years of sadness due to her many
husbands and children dying, she devoted her life to Buddha and
became a nun. Perhaps because of her holiness, she was allowed to
die at the age of 800.

Immortality has always been a dream for humans; the desire to avoid
death is universal, whether because of fear, a thirst for knowledge, or
simply a love of living. However, many others tend to see it as a
curse, with journalist Herb Caen saying: “The only thing wrong with
immortality is that it tends to go on forever.” Immortality has long
fascinated us humans, and because of that, it’s become intertwined
with most mythologies.

Just got this info as a bc from a friend. I hope it's true.
Bitter-Kola has been internationally verified to cure Ebola. Anyone who suspects they are in danger of catching it is advised to consume it. It is like food and there is no overdose. Simply peel and chew! May God protect us all, Amen!

nma24: Him No benefit anything

okay. swear this juju .... ** brings out a black broom tied with red cloth**

hmmmmmmmm... I don tire

**in a typical akwa ibom man voice** mbok bring the dogk meatd come here o

Arvin Sloane (born 31 October 1950) was the head of SD-6 , a branch
of the Alliance of Twelve, working against the United States
government under the pretence that SD-6 was a black ops division of
the CIA. After the collapse of SD-6 he moved on to pursuing
knowledge of the 15th century prophet Milo Rambaldi before turning
himself over to the U.S. government and becoming the head of the
charitable organization Omnifam. As time went on the government
entrusted Sloane with more comprehensive tasks and allowed him to
set up a real black ops division, Authorized Personnel Only . After his
true desire to pursue Rambaldi was revealed, he left APO and began
work with Prophet Five .
For over thirty years Sloane was encapsulated by a desire to discover
the secrets of the prophet Milo Rambaldi. Whilst working with SD-6
he sent agents out on many missions to retrieve or learn more about
Rambaldi, with the sole aim of personal fulfilment. After leaving SD-6
he pursued Rambaldi himself, and continued on a quest to discover
Rambaldi's true endgame; immortality. When Sloane finally
discovered it with the assistance of Irina Derevko and The Horizon, he
became trapped in an underground cavern, pinned down by debris
from a bomb blast created by former work colleague Jack Bristow with
no hope of ever escaping, stuck for eternity.

why won't he cheat ?

Hilarious but so true....

xamuel17: Haven't watched it.. As far am concerned, any music video that doesn't give me erections is rubbish to me

Onye ara