By KEMO CHAM in Freetown | Monday, July 7 2014 at 10:18
Sierra Leone Information and Communication Minister
Alhaji Alpha Kanu has asked citizens to give handshakes a none-month
break in light of the Ebola epidemic.
He compared the Ebola epidemic to the country’s
11-year civil war and said radical behavioural change was necessary to
contain it.
"This is like the rebel war. The only difference is you don't see the enemy. This is an invincible enemy," Mr Kanu said.
"It is not rude not to extend your hand. Let us leave it for a while. The Chinese and Japanese don't do it," he offered.
The Ebola outbreak which began in Guinea is also
pre-occupying the authorities in Liberia. The disease is transmitted
through contact with infected people and through bodily fluids.
As of Saturday, the death in Sierra Leone had gone up to 73, with a total of 254 laboratory cases confirmed.
Amidst the worsening of the situation and warnings
by the World Health Organization (WHO) of worse to come, West African
governments appear in dilemma as to best approach.
The government’s increasingly radical approach has been raising some eyebrows.
Both Liberia and Sierra Leone have criminalised sheltering of patients who refuse to seek medical treatment.
Proper hygiene
Last week, a 55-year-old Sierra Leonean in the eastern Kenema District became the first victim of the new law.
He was convicted of a "disorderly manner" for obstructing a medical official, the daily Awoko newspaper reported.
He was sentenced for one month in jail with an option of a fine.
Action Aid’s country director called the criminalisation approach heavy-handed and urged more sensitisation instead.
The government is however opposed to calls for closure of borders.
Sierra Leoneans hold the neighbouring countries,
particularly Guinea, responsible for letting the virus cross into their
territory.
The government believes closure of the borders will be an exercise in futility.
Mr Kanu said all the cases which have come into
the country came in through unofficial crossing points and closure will
only force people to take to these illegal routes.
The only way out, he insisted, was practising proper hygiene.
The government has resisted calls to declare the
outbreak a national emergency, which would force it to divert resources
from other pressing matters to the anti-Ebola effort. http://www.africareview.com/News/Sierra-Leoneans-asked-to-forgo-handshakes/-/979180/2374722/-/g8ux8tz/-/index.html
