- Title: NIGERIA: Nigerians turn to jokes to ease Ebola tension
- Date: 9th August 2014
- Summary: VARIOUS OF BUILDING AND PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SELLING BITTER KOLA VARIOUS OF BITTER KOLA FOR SALE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSIC PRODUCER, FRANCIS, SAYING: "The positive side is, we try not to let situations and tragedies like this get to us and the negative side is I think we should....making fun of stuff like this makes people unaware of how serious it is and I think it is something everybody should know, that it's a deadly disease. Even the doctors, according to what I heard, two people are confirmed dead already and even the doctors who were very much aware of the disease contracted it. So if you are talking about Nigerians, what do you say about the United States doctors that were flown to, you know, Liberia? They still contracted it even with the awareness, they still got the disease. So I think it's something they should take very seriously. Although people make fun of, I mean, people just say certain things or make jokes out of some certain things just to ease themselves and ease the tension, it's good, you know, when you can just ease your tension with jokes. But at the same time they should take it seriously." LAGOS, NIGERIA (AUGUST 8, 2014) (REUTERS) NEWSPAPER STAND NEWSPAPERS ON DISPLAY VARIOUS OF NEWSPAPER VENDOR COUNTING MONEY (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEWSPAPER VENDOR, MALLAM HASSAN, SAYING: "My customers, they came to me (and said) I should stop people touching my newspapers. I say, why? They said, because of Ebola. I should not allow my customers to touch my newspapers. I say, why? They said because there is Ebola spreading around. I say, why? They said because most of my customers, I don't know whether they're affected with Ebola." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAGOS RESIDENT, EMMANUEL OGUDUBI, SAYING: "Okay fine, if they say the Ebola is real, I don't know, because me I am a typical African man, I don't believe, that's my own belief because the Bible let us understand that as man thinketh in his heart, so shall it be. With my own heart, I don't believe that maybe I am going to contract any Ebola disease." VARIOUS STREET SCENES
- Embargoed: 24th August 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6O4UASQ5SYHFR01NI947JDQRO
- Story Text: As the Nigerian government looks for ways to curtail the spread of the Ebola virus currently threatening the nation, many people have taken to social media sites to make jokes about the disease and suggest alternative ways of avoiding it.
Social media-users have been sharing pictures of the Ebola hug, the Ebola handshake and the Ebola kiss - all carried out using protective clothing and gloves.
There are also rumours that adding salt to both bathing and drinking water can ward off the deadly disease.
But music producer, Francis, says the topic needs to be treated more seriously.
"The positive side is, we try not to let situations and tragedies like this get to us and the negative side is I think we should....making fun of stuff like this makes people unaware of how serious it is and I think it is something everybody should know, that it's a deadly disease. Even the doctors, according to what I heard, two people are confirmed dead already and even the doctors who were very much aware of the disease contracted it. So if you are talking about Nigerians, what do you say about the United States doctors that were flown to, you know, Liberia? They still contracted it even with the awareness, they still got the disease. So I think it's something they should take very seriously. Although people make fun of, I mean, people just say certain things or make jokes out of some certain things just to ease themselves and ease the tension, it's good, you know, when you can just ease your tension with jokes. But at the same time they should take it seriously," he said.
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan declared a national state of emergency on Friday (August 8) over the Ebola outbreak in Africa's most populous country, and approved 1.9 billion naira ($11.7 million) of emergency funds to contain it.
Nigeria has confirmed seven cases of Ebola in its commercial capital Lagos since a man fell sick on arrival from Liberia, two of whom have died. Several dozen people who came into contact with the man are under surveillance.
The outbreak has led some to take drastic action.
Newspaper seller Mallam Hassan says he no longer allows his customers to read the papers at his newsstand unless they are wearing gloves.
"My customers, they came to me (and said) I should stop people touching my newspapers. I say, why? They said, because of Ebola. I should not allow my customers
to touch my newspapers. I say, why? They said because there is Ebola spreading around. I say, why? They said because most of my customers, I don't know whether they're affected with Ebola," he said.
Although the prospect of Ebola in Lagos, Africa's biggest city with 21 million people, has ratcheted up alarm about its spread, some remain sceptical.
"If they say the Ebola is real, I don't know, because me I am a typical African man, I don't believe, that's my own belief because the Bible let us understand that as man thinketh in his heart, so shall it be. With my own heart, I don't believe that maybe I am going to contract any Ebola disease," said Emmanuel Ogudubi.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that West Africa's Ebola epidemic constituted an international health emergency and the virus, which has killed nearly 1,000 people, could continue spreading for months. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
