As COVID 19 leave traces torment in 1.6 Million and killed 102, 631 people, no one is left in doubt that the world is at war with a killer disease that is gaining more strength.
This has compelled all countries to take extraordinary measures to contain the virus.
In the Gambia, 9 cases are now part of the case history of the disease. The epidemiology unit informs us that the first four cases involved one female from the West Coast Health region comprising Banjul, KM and Eastern, Central and Southern Kombo. Two males came from the same region and one from URR.
One 71-year-old male is dead. A 70-year-old male is released while a 53-year-old male is still hospitalised.
He is now among the 6 persons who are currently hospilatised.
Three of the persons hospitalised are females ,two of whom are 28 years of age and one has clocked 40 years. The three other cases are males. They are 20, 53 and 62 years of age respectively. The virus is currently showing more prevalence among non-pensioners even though it is claimed that the most vulnerable are the aged. Four of the 9 cases are under 30. Six are under 60 years. Hence, the most productive category of our population is under threat.
The infection spreads through social contact. Safe spacing of persons occupying any public space is necessary to prevent the spread of the illness. Hand shakes and drinking green tea or water in the traditional way may increase the spread of the infection but very few people ae taking notice.
Health education, including preventing health, should be given more priority in curriculum development so that the young would be more receptive to the advice of the health authorities in maintaining safe spacing as a public health strategy in containing COVID 19.
The media must be engaged more vigorously in the psychological warfare to prepare the population for active combat against COVID 19 . Complacency would lead to defeat and death .We should not allow dead bodies to speak to our conscience and drive our will to action. That would be too late. Action before tragedy is the best means of containing and defeating the killer disease that is yet to have any drug to cure it.
