Apollo Infection Diaries: A Personal Account

Have you heard of Apollo before? Have you experienced it before? I don’t think I have seen anyone with Apollo infection in the past few years. This could be because I have moved away from where I grew up to a place far away where temperatures are higher than normal.

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I remember as kids when we used to spend the vacation at my grandparents house my cousins used to have red eyes with inflammation. Where we stayed, we would usually see these white stuff floating in the air. As kids we didn’t know their source so we just assumed they were sent by ghosts. Our theory then was that these things sent by the ghosts fell into their eyes and led to Apollo. Also we realized that day by day, others kept getting infected by this strange ghost infection so to keep ourselves safe we decided to avoid any sort of contact with the individual most importantly eye contact.

In times like this, mothers tend to be worried as usual and they try to look for possible remedies. You know African moms, always listening to the neighbors.😂 My grandparents neighbors were one weird group of people. They suggested we use breast milk of a lactating mother, when that didn’t work they said we should use feaces of a wall gecko. Man, we had to wake up early every morning to find these feaces.😂 I can’t believe we went through all that just for nothing.

Personally, I have never been infected with Apollo before but now that I am older and more educated I have finally come to learn and understand more about this infection. Incase you didn’t know, Apollo is also known as conjunctivitis and it is mostly found in west Africa in the raining season. It is believed to be caused by a viral or bacterial infection or due to allergic reactions to substances or foods we are allergic to.

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During conjunctivitis outbreak, infected persons mostly experience symptoms such as inflammation in the eye , redness, pain in the eyes and difficulty in seeing. We Africans would always try to prescribe our own drugs but it is advisable to seek medical attention in case of an infection. This will prevent the use of the wrong drugs which will have negative effects on us in the long run and also prevent the spread of the infection.

To protect ourselves in cases of Apollo outbreak, it is advisable to inculcate the habit of washing our hands frequently, avoid contact with your eyes (touching), avoid direct contact with infected individuals , and also avoid sharing personal materials such as towels or eyeliners with infected individuals. With these precautions, one is likely to be safe during an Apollo outbreak.

I hope this was helpful to someone out there. Next time there’s an Apollo outbreak, do well to make use of these tips. Thank you.