Ebola virus fear: Pork, bush-meat vendors go off business

Business persons specialised in the commercialisation of pork and bush-meat have virtually disappeared from the main streets of Buea and its environs, barely days after rumours went wild that a suspected case of an Ebola infected patient was discovered in Nguti, South West region.

Though the South West regional delegate of public health, Victor Mbome Njie recently over the state-run CRTV Buea, refuted claims of the existence of the deadly virus in the region, many inhabitants, apparently for fear of contracting the virus have stopped consuming pork and other items identified as major carriers of the virus.

Popular sales point of pork such as Check Point Molyko, Malingo Street the Muea main market, have been abandoned by the owners. Also, bush meat was completely absent from a renown spot at the Bokwaongo neighborhood last week. When they were contacted, the vendor said her suppliers had failed to show-up with the usual consignment but added the failure could however not be unconnected with the much talked Ebola Virus.

Ngong Ivo, a resident of Muea told this reporter that he could not eat pork any longer. “I hear one can easily be infected with Ebola by consuming pork. And though the price for a plate of pork has drop from 600FCFA to 300FCFA, many people are still reluctant to consume it”, Ngong noted.

In a related development, the consumption of ‘bitter kola’ has reportedly increased.

Elvis, 14, a bitter cola hawker, told The Guardian Post that he has been making brisk business from the sale of ‘bitter kola’ ever since rumour of the existence of Ebola started circulating in the region.

By the time of compelling this report, this reporter received a message from a friend that stated: “Ebola virus has hit Bamenda and Mamfe. Avoid eating pork, monkey, chimpanzee and bat. Please before bathing, put salt in warm water and bath with it, and then drink some. Rub your body with Vaseline and avoid greeting people with your hand. Spread the message”. Though it is still unconfirmed, many seemed not to have taken such messages lightly.

Apparently jokingly, a colleague in Yaounde at the close of the week forwarded a humoristic message saying “God is great! Ebola may not be good but it’s nice that it came so that men like me can be safe from the hands of ladies concerning meat palava. I beg God to extent it to fish, fowl, canda and other pepperish things”

While debunking allegations of the virus, South West regional delegate public health insisted that stringent measures have been taken to prevent the spread of Ebola into the region. Border health posts he said have been officially created in Limbe, Tiko and Idenau with health workers posted to report to the district on a daily basis.