It goes without saying that Nigeria is a nation that has continually been faced with financial strain for a long duration of time now. The country’s ever growing population (currently 186 million) has made it even more difficult to contain the spread of various epidemics’ such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola and Malaria. The US government has established many international agencies tasked with the responsibility of combating the spread of these ailments all across the continent. The government fathoms that by preventing the spread of the diseases in Africa lives will be saved globally because most of these ailments can be easily be spread to foreign nations through travelling. So it is basically killing two birds with one stone.
The US government identifies Nigeria as a strategic partner in West Africa because of two main reasons. First, is because of the country’s large Muslim population; this may come in handy especially in the fight against terrorism and secondly due to the country’s hydrocarbon wealth. Bilateral trade relations between Nigeria and the US will be extremely advantageous especially for the US because the Nigeria is richly endowed with oil and natural gas deposits. The US government will therefore continue to offer foreign aid in Nigeria and in return US will enjoy certain trade benefits.
In my opinion I think that the words of Johnnie Carson; US Assistant Secretary of State best summarizes the US policy in Nigeria. He states, “Nigeria is one of the two most important countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and what happens in Nigeria has consequences for Africa, the United States, and the global community.”
Major issues facing countries involved
HIV and AIDS from time immemorial has been an epidemic that has affected many families and societies in Nigeria. This menace has resulted in many losses including; death, truancy, poverty, increase in social crimes and evil, orphans, separation of families and strain on the government’s expenditure. In 2003, president Bush enacted a plan; the president emergency plan for AIDS relief which issued 18 billion dollars to aid in combating the AIDS pandemic that had ravaged the whole world. Research conducted by (Filipovic, 34) denotes that this plan was the largest international health initiative in history dedicated to a single disease. In order to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS, the following strategies citizens of Nigeria are being encouraged to employ; practicing of safe sex, not sharing piercing and cutting tools, limit sexual partners and abstinence.
Salmonella Infections is another predicament that is threatening the West African population. Nontyphoidal salmonella is a type of infection that causes fever which can ultimately result in death if not promptly treated. The infection can be propagated through a number of ways including; contact with animals or their products such as chicken and eggs, contaminated animal produce and water. Some of the risk factors currently present in Nigeria that may make it easy for the disease to spread include; malnutrition, malaria and anemia. The infection can be easily be contacted by individuals suffering from other pre-existing conditions such as HIV and AIDS.
Thirdly, is the malaria epidemic which is currently considered to be the most deadly disease especially for infants. Research conducted by (Christian et al. 28), stipulates that roughly 627,000 people died of malaria in 2012 with a majority of this population being children from the depths of Africa. As a result of these soaring figures, the US president Barrack Obama established the President Malaria Initiative which offers financial aid to militaries in other nations especially in Africa. Some of the preventive measures being enforced in Nigeria and other African nations to combat this epidemic include; use of mosquito nets, clearing of stagnant water and bushes, encouraging the use of insecticides and mosquito repellants.
Reasons for initiating changes to the policy
During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, he instituted the Global Gag Rule which basically did not allow any funding from the US government to go to any international firm that advocated or supported abortion in any way. This was devastating for desperate women who had to seek other unsafe and unreliable methods to commit the act because they mainly relied on financial support from the US. When his counterpart president Clinton assumed office, he abolished the rule and financial aid was restored to African nations. Many people therefore benefited from the initiative. However when Bush was voted in by the electorate he reinstated the Gag Rule.
President Obama then rescinded the rule when he assumed office and women were again able to obtain legal and safe methods of abortion. His attempts did not last for long because when president Trump took over he quickly reinstated the Gag Rule making it more restrictive. The aftermath of his actions were devastating. Currently, millions of Africans have limited access to basic healthcare. The infant mortality rate is on the rise with the life expectancy levels reducing significantly in Africa as compared to the Western world (Holton,42).
Option to be considered with its pros and Cons
My proposal is simple; I would advise Mr. Trump to permanently rescind the Gag Rule because many Africans are suffering and losing their lives while we watch. Today, many Africans are likely to contact contagious diseases that they may easily spread to the outside world. Through initiating this change in the policy many lives will be salvaged and preserved for futures sake. People will therefore be able to live and co-exist with each other harmoniously. The only disadvantage associated with the rule is that it will cause a stretch on the government’s expenditure.
Summary
Efforts of president Obama to inhibit the spread of Ebola cannot go unnoticed. He was an exceptional leader; one worth emulating. During his tenure, Obama promised over 175 million dollars and 3000 military forces to aid in the fight against the disease and this he delivered. Partnerships between the United States Agency for International Development and other departments such as the Department of Defense, the Centers for Control, the World Health Organizations and the UN ensured that citizens were well equipped and trained to deal with the Ebola menace. Moreover, protection kits were issued to many families which assisted in containing the virus.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the still exist a lot of limitations and challenges e.g. Poor transport and infrastructure systems that the US government and other foreign donors face while attempting to provide assistance to the affected people all across Africa. There is therefore the need for the governments in African nations to invest in developing their infrastructure and also their health sectors. Countries need to work together in unison to combat the spread of various ailments as the renowned adage stipulates, prevention is better than cure.
Works Cited
Christian, Kira A., et al. "What we are watching *five top global infectious disease threats, 2012: a perspective from CDC’s Global Disease Detection Operations Center." Emerging Health Threats, vol. 6, 2013, pp. 1-8. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.3402/ehtj.v6i0.20632. Accessed 1 July 2017.
Holton, Elizabeth. "Before the Spread: How the U.S. is Working to Stop the Next Ebola." U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, 7 Apr. 2017, www.usglc.org/2017/04/07/before-the-spread-how-the-u-s-is-working-to-stop-the-next-ebola/. Accessed 1 July 2017.
Filipovic, Jill. "Sin of Omission." Foreign Policy, no. 223, Mar.-Apr. 2017, pp. 50-61. Academic Search Complete, dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true"db=a9h"AN=121697712"site=ehost-live. Accessed 3 July 2017.
http://callievfowler.blogspot.co.ke/2017/09/united-states-nigeria-foreign-policy.html
http://www.usglc.org/blog/before-the-spread-how-the-u-s-is-working-to-stop-the-next-ebola/
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2015/03/19/3-ways-mobile-helped-stop-the-spread-of-ebola-in-nigeria/
