Health experts have warned against self-medication and resorting to herbal remedies in treating conjunctivitis, popularly called apolo.
Their professional views were sought following the reported cases of the virus in some schools in Enugu State of late. THE WHISTLER reports that the contagious disease, which affects human eyes, has put school operators vigilant to checkmate its spread. The suffers usually experience blurred vision, eye pus and pains, as well as redness of the eyes.
“When we suspect a case,” says a mistress of a private school in Enugu, “we alert the concerned parents for the evacuation of the child for proper medicare. The measure is to avoid other children contracting the disease. We don’t stigmatize.”
A teacher at Golf Estate in Enugu, on condition of anonymity, said parents were informed on their platform to observe their children whether they show signs of the disease.
She said, “Those that miss classes because of the infection will be remedied when they become better. It is the standard practice. This is the season of conjunctivitis, though the harmattan hasn’t set in. We have also introduced hand washing as a means of improving hygiene within the school. It is easily transmitted through contacts; we are putting everything possible to curtail the spread.”
A medical doctor, Onyeka Obeh, has warned against the use of herbal concoctions or human urine to treat conjunctivitis. Obeh, a family physician, said such puts human eyes to the risk of blindness.
“I have heard many people claim that they use liquid substances of some popular leaves to treat it. They claim that once they apply the liquid extract of the leaves to the eye, the disease is cured. I warn them that such can make them vulnerable to irreversible blindness. Human eyes are delicate, and should be handled delicately. Conjunctivitis is a viral disease, and has no known cure. The body has immunity to it, and naturally will overcome it between four to six days. It is wrong to go for unorthodox means of treating it. If you check medical records, many wrongly-treated common ailments have resulted in irreversible complications.”
Dr Okey Ezeme, a health expert, told our correspondent that, “I advise sufferers to seek medical advice if it becomes severe. Immune boosting medication can be given to strengthen the immunity of the suffers. Some eye drops are also recommended to avoid secondary bacterial infections. Such drops ward off external infections. People should be careful in managing their eyes. It is ridiculous to hear people recommend urine as the cure.”