Intriguing questions regarding Zika disease

Africa used to be called the dark continent. One does not hear a lot of that these days but there is certain international innuendo and even African behaviour patterns that can compel a person to think about darkness and not light.

Those who do development planning tell us that Africa has been used quite a lot in the past – probably even now – to test some development models which, when they succeed, go on to be used more effectively and efficiently in developed economies.

I would like to think that this way, Mother Africa must have gained some light.

In spite of the specific African characteristic(s) that probably put off some people from other geographical, political and even economic zones – or perhaps expose the good continent to exploitation – the world today is such that everybody is tied up together in one big global village.

Be that as it may, perceptions take long to disappear. I do remember that when I went to Europe the very first time in 1979, I was struck by the fact that Europeans were thoroughly intrigued by the colour of our skin, the look of our hair and so on. The things that divide human beings are so superficial.

There has been a story in the media in the last week or so about a disease that seems to be presenting a big challenge and scare to people in Brazil and other places in Latin America.

Certain categories of people are even being warned against going to the Olympics in Brazil which should be starting in the next six months. This Zika disease is seemingly quite severe and seems to affect infants and so pregnant mothers are being told to keep off.

CONSIPACY THEORIST

What caught my attention about this story of the disease is that no sooner had it started doing the rounds – and clearly for now it is a Latin American matter – than Africa was brought into the mix.

Media reports started telling us about some discovery of the same that had become apparent in 1947 in Uganda. A friend of mine thinks that I am a conspiracy theorist but he also admits that a lot of my suspicions tend to make sense.

When Aids came in the 1980s it became a largely African burden and only recently have HIV positive people started living with hope – thanks to pharmaceutical operators.

We, of course, know that there were many American and European Aids patients whose condition, unlike that of Africans, had a lot to do with drugs and homosexuality.

Whether Zika had been noticed in Uganda or not, why did it take this long for the world to know?

Fr Wamugunda is dean of students, University of Nairobi; [email protected]