By ELSIE EYAKUZE

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la, atchoo! Bless you and please use your hand sanitiser before wishing anyone merry during this holiday season. It seems that the universe has a bit of a perverse sense of humour and has sent Dar es Salaam something which might quite possibly be a strain of influenza.

Yes, influenza. That Victorian-sounding disease which used to wipe out populations quite indiscriminately mostly in that damp and claggy Northern Hemisphere as far as I heard and read for quite a while before things like regular personal hygiene and eventually vaccinations came along to help.

I can speak to the very non-African notion that we are a continent riddled with deadly diseases: not really. With improved nutrition, a continuous battle against the old malaria and cholera outbursts and the resilience of aeons, we are generally rather robust and happily reproducing at a rate that for some reason has the rest of the world worried. Even Ebola isn’t going to wipe us out.

But I am concerned that we’re not really ready for the new diseases. This influenza thing seems to have shown up in Dar es Salaam just in time to make the coming end of year more distressing than it already is for a rather broke population. I am typing this from a household full of sniffling people with one suspected possible flu victim and a whole lot of cold medicines.

Much more distressing than that, I have read on social media some rather alarming reports of people falling ill and getting tested negative for the usual culprit—malaria- and do not get a diagnosis of what ails them.

As with our dengue episode earlier in the year, it may be that we are under-equipped to investigate this new challenge.

Now for the good news: maybe we all just have that exhausted end-of-year holiday cold that crops up when we finally relax from a taxing 12 months. Or maybe not. Better news is that if it is influenza, Google tells me that it might make you miserable but is generally not high on the danger list unless you are older or have other health issues.

In other words, very little to see here and hopefully not much to worry about. PS: if you are a doctor reading this, I know, I know, I am part of the problem: we really should be consulting you and not the Internet. Forgive.

This is hardly a fun topic for Christmas wishes is it? But because of my government’s recent track record in public health, it seems to be falling us.

This is my way of wishing you and yours a hopefully healthy and happy holiday season and to tell you not to worry too much but be aware. Treat yourself gently these next few weeks and since we will be gathering a lot, seriously, carry your handkerchief and wash your hands. But most of all, remember to have fun and that love makes the world go around. Have a great break, especially you blessed medical professionals who keep us trucking.

Elsie Eyakuze is a consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report. E-mail: [email protected]