Last Sunday as the MC was announcing the pro­gramme outline for the service, she mentioned that a medical doctor from a health facility nearby was going to give us a brief presentation.

At the tail end of the ser­vice, the doctor was intro­duced and she started by saying that there is currently a cholera outbreak and so the Ministry of Health has decided to announce it to the public and to educate people regard­ing preventive measures and also what to do if one sus­pects she or he has cholera.

I had already heard from the news the outbreak at various parts of the country and so it was no news to me. What engaged my attention however, was the fact that cholera which should not be mentioned among us now has become an issue. I thought it had been dealt with a long time ago but apparently it is still around, all because of our inability to deal with insan­itary conditions around our dwellings, shops, market stalls etc. as well as deliberate and senseless dumping of garbage in drains.

The neglect to improve sanitation in our communities is what has triggered karma against us. We cannot treat our environment with careless abandon and expect to live healthy lives.

Cholera according to med­ical people, is caused by a bacterium known as Vibrio Cholera which is transmitted through contaminated food or water. This bacterium is usually found in faecal matter and therefore one of the main human activities that contrib­utes to this cholera outbreak is open defecation.

When a fly moves from dirt containing faeces and settles on any food item, the item gets contaminated and anyone who consumes the food, is at risk of getting cholera.

Therefore anytime someone goes to defecate in an open space, note that he or she is creating the necessary condi­tions for cholera outbreak. If you engage in defecation in the open, i.e. near a rubbish heap, beach, near bushes sur­rounding uncompleted proper­ties etc., please note that you are a potential murderer.

Wrong behaviour of open defecation can result in someone getting infected with cholera and dying as a result hence making people who engage in such acts potential murderers.

Personal responsibility is another aspect of this whole cholera issue that has to be looked at. Just like in the days of COVID-19, personal hygiene practices like washing of our hands under running water, sanitising our hands after getting off a public transport, sanitising our hands after coming out of an office where the door knob was han­dled etc. must be part of our daily lives.

It is like nature is waging a war against humanity for the harm we have inflicted on it over the years.

The coastal communi­ties are the group with the greatest risk of infection due to open defecation that is rampant. The doctor who gave the presentation in our church, which is in one of the coastal communities in Accra, mentioned that there had been 14 reported cases at her polyclinic.

Given the lack of beds in our health facilities, this outbreak is going to put a huge strain on our already constrained health facilities in terms of resources. The community leaders have a herculean task at effecting change of attitude among their subjects or members of their community.

A very concerted effort needs to be made at ed­ucating members of such communities to ensure that they abandon this negative behaviour that negatively impacts their own health.

The education should start from the schools, from the kindergartens, through the lower primary and upwards. Enforcement of local laws must be prioritised to deter recalcitrant members in our society so we can effectively prevent cholera outbreaks

By Laud Kissi-Mensah