Irresponsibility, Disease Generation

News about how taxis spread diseases did not make pleasant reading when it made newspaper headlines recently.

That was when Ebola and cholera had not caused so much fear and panic in town. Now that our sub-region is battling the two, a look at how our bylaws are not working and how to reverse the trend, have never been more critical.

Many and relevant bylaws exist to control the spread and even the generation of diseases, yet these are either not enforced or even known by members of the public.

Corpses definitely should not be conveyed in taxis as we are witnessing in some instances in Accra and other areas in the country today. A news report about the spread of diseases explained how dead bodies are sometimes conveyed to mortuaries for preservation in taxis until burial arrangements are completed by families.

One does not need to be told about the dangers the practice can pose because these same vehicles are used to convey loaves of bread from bakeries to various outlets in town.

Unfortunately the practice is hardly noticed, let alone checked by the agencies which should be performing such a role. Such corpses are the remains of persons who died outside the hospitals, and upon whose corpses no autopsies were undertaken to determine whether the causes of death were communicable or not. That being the case, precautionary measures regarding handling of the corpses, are lost to the family members and exposing them to danger.

This might sound inconsequential, but recent cases of cholera and even Ebola are enough reminders about the need to be careful about hygiene, especially the handling of the dead when the cause of death has not been established by a pathologist.

Many deaths occurred in Ebola endemic areas in the early days of the epidemic because family members did not understand what was at hand and how to respond to them. The results are the many deaths recorded in such areas and still counting.

The cholera outbreak which is peaking in Accra and other parts of the country, present us with another health challenge.

Considering the indisputable fact that cholera is spread through the abuse of the environment which supports us, the disease can be described as avoidable by all standards.