11082020 - Insecurity: Defend yourselves, Catholic bishops tell Nigerians

28 ---- Vanguard, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020
COVID-19: I was on oxygen for 5 days
— IVUOMA TOM, SURVIVOR
By Chioma Obinna
ON Sunday August
8th, the total number
of confirmed COVID-19
cases in Nigeria hit 46,577
with 945 deaths. Despite
the increasing number of
confirmed cases and
fatalities, many Nigerians
still percieve the pandemic
as a scam.
Recently, one of the unsung
Heroes of COVID-19,
Ivuoma Tom shared her
heart -rendering story
during a webinar, Good
Health Weekly captured it.
Excerpts:
FOR Ivuoma Tom, a
nurse in a private
hospital in Lagos who was
exposed to COVID-19, her
experience is an eyeopener.
Her ordeal began after
her 14 days self-isolation.
She began showing
symptoms on the 16th
day, even though medical
experts say it takes an
average of 5–6 days from
infection with the virus for
symptoms to show or a
maximum of 14 days.
COVID-19 affects
different people in different
ways. In Ivuoma’s case, the
symptoms ranged from
fever to palpitations. The
virus attacked her lungs
and heart seriously.
Breathing
problems
“I couldn’t breathe. I was
sneezing like someone
who had asthma. I was
evacuated on April 26th,
2020 from my house to the
isolation centre in Lekki
area of Lagos.
“My condition got worse
because it took three days
before I was picked up. It
was the morning after I
was admitted that I noticed
that one of my friends and
colleagues was also there.
I told him I was not
breathing well and did not
know what would happen
the next morning.
“Luckily for me, he raised
alarm, and the health
workers were running
helter-skelter, I shed tears.
I was helpless.”
At that point,Ivuoma’s
oxygen level had gone
down even as she
continued to experienced
difficulty in breathing and
shortness of breath.
“My oxygen level had
gone down. The correct
number should be 95/100
but mine went down to 8.
My pulse also dropped to
49 instead of 100.”
Help, however, came
Ivuoma’s way when she
was transferred from the
Lekki Isolation centre to the
Infectious Disease
Hospital, IDH, isolation
Centre, Yaba.
Ivuoma Tom after recovery from COVID-19.
“I was lucky that the
medical personnel who
came from IDH came along
with oxygen. I stayed at the
IDH centre for the
remaining 16 days. I was
on oxygen for five days,”
she remarked.
Treatment
But her stay in the
isolation centre was
prolonged unlike what a
few other survivors had
claimed.
Ivuoma had been told
from the first day that she
was taken to the isolation
centre that she would be
transferred to the Intensive
Care Unit the momemn it
was discovered that her
condition had worsened.
“That was when I knew
that my case was really
serious. I resolved to try
By Chioma Obinna &
Gabriel Olawale
THE Lagos State
Government has
expressed dissatisfaction
over the poor practise of
exclusive breastfeeding
and early initiation in the
state even as it called for
more support from key
stakeholders.
Making the assertion in
Lagos during an event
organised by Alive &
Thrive in partnership with
the Lagos State Ministry of
Health , to mark this year’s
World Breastfeeding Week,
the State Nutrition Officer,
Mrs Olubunmi Braheem,
said though mothers
practice breastfeeding,
early initiation and
exclusive breastfeeding still
remain challenges.
She added that in Lagos
State, 99 per cent of
children are breastfed, “but
if you look at early
initiation, it is still very
poor”.
my best to recover. I went
online and read about
breathing exercises and
other areas. I read up a
part where it was stated
that people with breathing
problems should not lie on
their back but on their
stomach. That was really
my position throughout
that period. The breathing
exercise also helped me.
“The treatment there was
good. The environment
was conducive. They fed us
very well because they
knew that COVID-19
affects the immune system
and their number one aim
was to build up our
immune system to fight the
disease and treat other
opportunistic infections
along the line.
“The nurses and
doctors were okay. Apart
from the first experience,
I had in the first isolation
centre (hotel) where they
did not check me on time
and put me on oxygen on
time. At Yaba, it was a
different story entirely.
They fed us well. We were
given water and an egg
every day. The treatment
was different.
“We were treated based
on our symptoms. Some
were given anti-malarial
drugs but I was not. I was
only given antiretroviral
drugs and a particular
drug that opens the lungs
that helped me to breathe.
They gave us vitamin C.
The treatment generally
was perfect.”
Emotional support
Ivuoma praised the
doctors noting that their
attitude encouraged the
patients. One particular
nurse talked to us and
prayed for us. We were like
family.”
Ivuoma kept her status
away from her family. She
said she could not tell he
parents because they
would not have withstood
it.
“Whenever the TV was
switched on, one would
keep hearing about the
number of people that
had died and I did not
want them to panic. I told
just a few people that I
knew would support me.”
Weeks later, Ivuoma was
out of danger and
discharged after testing
negative.
Post experience
Experts worry over late initiation of exclusive breastfeeding in Lagos
“In terms of exclusive
breastfeeding, we are not
yet there as only 51.8 per
cent are exclusively
breastfed. We are also not
yet there as regard
continuous breastfeeding
for the next 24 months with
a p p r o p r i a t e
complementary feeding.”
Braheem hinted that the
responsibility of early
initiation, exclusive
breastfeeding and
continued breastfeeding for
the next 24 months is not
the sole responsibilities of
lactating mothers, “all the
influencers need to take
part, such as mother-inlaw,
husband, guardian,
health workers among
others.
“Lactating mothers’
needs to also be protected
and this goes beyond what
an individual can do. It is
part of government
responsibilities which
includes giving maternity
leave to mothers. In Lagos
State, we give six months
to mothers that give birth
and two-week paternity
leave to fathers to support
mother that just give birth.”
She urged corporate
organisations that cannot
give six months leave to
make available
breastfeeding rooms.
“In Lagos we have
breastfeeding rooms what
we are working on
presently are the crèches.
We are encouraging the
private organisation to
encourage mothers to
bring their babies to place
of work and provide
breastfeeding room for
them.”
Speaking on the
relationship between
breastfeeding and climate
change, Nutrition
Programme Officer, Lagos
State Primary Health Care
Board, Dr Adetoke
Adekitan said nursing
mothers need to embrace
exclusive breastfeeding as
against infant formula
which poses a lot of
negative impacts on
climate.
“For us to have a balance
between breastfeeding
and climate change, there
has to be a sustainable
production and
consumption in which
people don’t need to rely
on breast milk substitute.
“For instance, to raise
cows you may have to cut
down trees which can lead
to deforestation and when
that happens a lot of carbon
dioxide is in the air. Cattle
rearing can also cause the
release of greenhouse
gasses which has a
negative impact on climate.
“Production and
packaging of this infant
formula also create some
negative climate impact
because production
requires energy and in a
situation whereby fossil
fuel is used, carbon dioxide
is released to the air which
can cause pollution.
Some of the materials
used in packaging end up
Full of joy, Ivuoma like
other survivors went on the
social media to share her
experience.
“When I left the isolation
centre I went on line and
talked about my
experience. The story went
viral, but I was branded a
marketer and accused of
being paid. People were
saying that it was a scam.
“Some persons even
accused me of formulating
the story, but I was
adamant and told them
that I was only lucky to be
alive. For the fact that
people are not dying in the
street does not mean there
is no COVID-19 in
Nigeria.
“I have been trying to talk
about it and I will continue
to talk about it. My mother
did not believe that there
is COVID-19 in Nigeria
but when I told her my story
she bought a nose mask
and started using hand
sanitiser. My cousin did
the same thing.”
Worst
moment
“My worst moment was
when I was told I was
being taken to the isolation
centre. I had this mindset
that it was a sinister place
but when I got there I saw
something different and
good. It was a therapeutic
environment and
everything was nice for me.
“Also, I had a moment of
depression especially
while on oxygen. There
was a particular day that
the thought of death came
to my mind. If I closed my
eyes it seemed I was
dying.
“I called someone and
shared my fears, but was
reassured to fight on and
come out of it. I fought and
came out of it. It wasn’t
really nice but thank God I
came out alive.”
on our landfill or sea which
affect the climate and
causes degradation of
climate. But with breast
milk, all it requires is for
the mother to eat.”
On her part, the State
Team Lead of Alive and
Thrive, Dr Uche Ralph-
Opara called for more
attention to the first 1,000
days of life, saying that
early initiation of
breastfeeding was capable
of addressing malnutrition.
Uche hinted that a lot of
money were being spent
trying to prevent or treat
malnutrition, “initiation of
breastfeeding immediately
after birth and exclusively
breastfeed the baby for six
months without water or
herb, and after six months
you introduced them to
diverse diets will address
issues of malnutrition.
“So the question is why
are we wasting a lot of
resources on treating
malnutrition when it can
actually be prevented?"