Are we prepared against Ebola?

Nearly 932 people have already died in West Africa since the Ebola outbreak about six months ago. As of now, four countries in particular- Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria- have been hit hard by the virus, and a some citizens of USA, Saudi Arabia, and Spain are also inflicted (International Business Times). There is no reason to believe that the virus won’t travel to South Asia and Nepal eventually.

According to WHO, Ebola transmits through close contact with the blood or other bodily fluids. It is believed to have inflicted human via infected animals (monkeys, chimpanzees etc.). Ebola has the case fatality rate of 90%. Initial symptoms of the disease are fever, weakness, headache followed by diarrhea, vomiting, etc. eventually leading to liver and kidney failure. Someone infected with Ebola virus may take 2-21 days to show up the symptoms (WHO).

Times of India recently reported that there are nearly 45,000 Indians living in Ebola affected countries (Times of India). If the virus outbreak persists and increases further, many of them may return back to India. Already a certain number of Indians working in Liberia are planning to return back to India. As such Indian government has planned various precautionary measures such as airport screening, self-disclosure upon arrival, airport health facilities in the key airports where people from Africa likely come in.

Small number of Nepalese are currently living in the Ebola affected countries in West Africa mainly for the UN peace-keeping work. So far there is no record of any Nepali citizen being affected by the virus (The Himalayan Times). As much as this is a good news, it is equally important for the government to be prepared in case if the unexpected happens. Beside, given a large number of Indian populations living in West Africa, and their frequent travel between India and African countries, the possibility of Ebola coming to India and subsequently to Nepal cannot be avoided altogether.

It is a high time that the Ministry of Health (MoH) alerts all of its health systems to pay especial attention to any potential Ebola outbreak. Arrangements also need to be made at the airport and other immigration points to monitor health of the foreigners and Nepalese entering to Nepal, particularly those coming from Africa. But most of all, MoH should proactively initiate discussions on Ebola prevention and control with other relevant line ministries and departments as appropriate, and swiftly develop an appropriate strategy and implement it in order to systematically deal with the potential outbreak of the virus in Nepal.

Leverage the Modi Momentum: Few Immediate Steps

Modi’s recent trip to Nepal has been hailed by both Nepali and Indian communities as a new hope for Nepal India relations and Nepal’s development. The renewed mutual interest and appreciation between the two countries is exactly what was needed for Nepal at this time to minimize the angst among certain Nepalese populations against the historical legacy of Indian foreign policy toward Nepal. Time will tell whether or not the renewed aspirations and hopes will translate into actions. What is noteworthy right now is the hope an Indian leader has been able create among the Nepalese people that no other leader was able to in the recent history.

 

Modi’s visit has positively fueled the underlying relationship between Nepal and India. Gallup poll 2011 found that nearly 80% Nepalese had positive opinions about India (http://www.gallup.com/poll/150143/Nepalese-Pakistan-South-Asia-Greatest-Security-Threat.aspx), despite all the suspicions and even negative discourse about India that goes into every day conversation especially among the independent scholars, thinkers, intellectuals, and certain left wingers. The under-current warmth Nepalese at large have toward India is because of the social and cultural lines that often cut across between the two countries. This relationship is Nepal’s strength as well as weakness, which Modi rightly recognized and quickly turned it into affection through political, religious and personal sentiments. He did not only emphasize the social cultural aspects, but also backed his interest of prosper Nepal by offering $1 billion new credit line assistance for HIT (Highway, information technology, and transmission) projects.
 

Nepalese political leaders should use and leverage the steps set forth by Modi. They should also truly believe that, like Modi, a leader can indeed change peoples’ perception, turn a wrong into a right, and recharge the populations with thoughtful engagements. But they should also understand that all of this of course cannot happen without a careful thinking, proper homework, and planning. So going fward the leaders should be prepared themselves with rigorous homework and targeted efforts to negotiate with the rest of the Modi’s administration on various development agenda including highway development, information technology, and electricity transmission.
 

Above all, Nepalese prime minister should not undermine his (his position’s) ability to make a change in the way people think and feel about their leaders and political systems. Feelings and perceptions are important, as they often determine peoples’ actions. So perhaps one of the important steps Nepalese prime minister can take right now is to come to the national television and give a quick roundup of Modi’s visit, outcomes of the visit, his impressions, and the hopes he has for Nepal. This will only help Nepalese people to believe that their feelings are not in hollow and are equally shared by their government, and the chief of the government is committed to use the momentum for the greater good of country men and women.
 

Similarly, Nepalese policy makers and politicians should properly plan and prioritize the projects that they would like to seek financial and technical assistance from India. This is a high time that they do this right, and test Modi’s largesse. Remember this: Modi has all the good reasons to do good in neighboring countries especially in nepal, so as to balance the great political and economic influence China is pushing from the north, secure India's borders from rather hostile neighbors, benefit from Nepal's water and electricity potentials, and of course the Pashupatinath! Nepalese leadership should recognize this, and leverage the newly energized relationship for country’s greater socio-economic development.