You are currently viewing Pandemics: Institutions and Overcoming Tragedy

Pandemics: Institutions and Overcoming Tragedy

Pandemics outbreak in a particular geographical area, spread generally and affects a large number of population living in a particular continent and the world at large. These pandemics include: COVID-19, Lassa Fever, Ebola Virus, HIV/AIDS, Influenza and so on.

The strong built walls of the world are now facing an inevitable fall due to the everyday break of these deadly pandemics. And this is easily understandable considering the unspoken effects they have on individuals and the world at large in everyday life. The life of individuals in the societies has become very frightening and tedious, for which people choose death rather than living in these monstrous pandemics bedeviling the world in every sector.

The rate at which deaths increases everyday has become more rampant and fearful. It has been observed and totaled that over three million people had died due to the current and quick spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Many more affected personalities are dying everyday due to this pandemic and millions of people have lost their lives due to other deadly pandemics in the world in the past years. These pandemics impact our institutions differently.

Impacts on the Economy

The impacts of these pandemics on the world economy is another worrisome factor. The economic growths of countries were greatly disrupted. Especially the African countries that are battling with low economic stabilities; it lead the entire continent into extreme hunger and poverty. We can all see, during these pandemics, there are no imports or exports of goods for sale in many countries.

Even in our hometowns, none will tend to come out with the intention of buying or selling something. Henceforth, since we now understand that there’s a direct connection between the educational sector and economic growth of any country, and due to the closure of schools, the economy of any particular country would however, weaken.

Institutions and Sectors

The educational sectors in the world have also been greatly affected due to the spread of these pandemics. Students that are supposed to graduate in 3 to 4 years, would end up graduating in 5 to 6 years time due to the long closures of schools during this pandemic periods. The most devastating issue would be graduating of unqualified students because of the long pandemic break which may make many students forget the lessons they were taught previously.

The roles of societies in tackling the quick spread of these pandemics can not be underestimated. Societies are the back-bone and remedies of bringing these deadly viruses to an end. This can be solely comprehended by experiencing the above roles that societies should play in tackling the spread of pandemics.

Every member of a particular society has a role to play in tackling these pandemics. This is dependent on the discipline one studied. As a sociologist, a doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher, pharmacist and so on; all play vigorous roles in tackling the pandemics in one way or another.

The Era of COVID-19: The Virus that Changed Society

Firstly, as a Doctor, the role that you should play in tackling these pandemics is ensuring every member of a society maintain personal hygiene. Since some pandemics exists as a result of uncleanliness; if every member of a society should maintain personal hygiene by cleaning himself/herself and the rate of these pandemics will be effectively reduced.

Also, as an Environmental Health Scientist you also have a role to play in tackling these pandemics. This can be done by ensuring all the surroundings are cleaned. When you observed that a particular society is full of dirty materials, you should advise the members of that society to clear the dirty surroundings in order to avoid the outbreak of these contagious diseases.

Sociologist can help extensively in abating these pandemics by interacting, orienting, and mobilizing people. By doing this; people that were not well oriented on the effects of these pandemics to individuals in the society would be well oriented and would play a wholesome role in tackling these pandemics.

As a Teacher, you should ensure that social distancing is observed in the classes, school premises and school environment. This is a role you should play to in tackling these pandemics. By maintaining social distancing in schools; the spread of these pandemics would be drastically reduced.

As a Laboratory Health Scientist, you should ensure that every member of a society has a medical check-up; ensuring regular health check-up should be a great role you should play in tackling these pandemics. Some viruses would not show their symptoms on a particular infected person for long; one would think he/she is in good health and condition until he/she had a medical check-up. These pandemics would easily spread among nations when one does not have adequate medical checkup.

However, the role you should play as a member of a particular society in tackling these pandemics is to avoid eating animals that might carry the deadly viruses; such animals are: monkeys, dogs, bats, etc As researched by scientists, the great percentage of viruses were brought mostly by animals. As they said, the 2014 Ebola Virus, the current Coronavirus Pandemic, Lassa Fever and so on were brought by wild animals.

Ensuring the good health of animals should also be observed. Some animals as reported by Zoologist are very dangerous and could contain the deadly viruses. Every society should check the health of all animals living in a particular society.

A Historian is not left behind also. We all know and believed that history is the book that teaches us the lessons of today. As a Historian, you should write books on these pandemics that occurred in the past and how they were curbed. People should then use the ideas of how there were tackled and experiment it the same way as done in the past.

As a Pharmacist, the role you should play in tramping out the pandemics is indeed a great role; you should extensively conduct research on these pandemics and invent medicines that would fight against these pandemics. And Engineer on the other hand should invent machines that will help in studying these pandemics.

Finally, I strongly, vigorously and wholly believed if every member of a society would apply their disciplined career in tackling pandemics, there would be the minimization of these pandemics in the world within a blink of an eye.

From Nigeria Blog Series

Salim Yakubu Akko

Salim Yakubu Akko is a Nigerian essayist and a poet.