Ebolaic World -Farewell To Handshakes  

To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose
But young men think it is, and we were young'
'More Poems' - A. E. Housman
When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat for him, he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.

  Chinua Achebe
My daughter Adwoa BONSU is always glued to the CNN, the BBC and AL JAZEERA. She has followed the outpourings on the outbreak of the Ebola disease and internalized the symptoms and the protective measures associated with it. She has also followed with grief the fatalities as well as the infectious nature of the virus. She cannot understand why the health workers treating Ebola patients have to be clothed like 'kaakaamotobi' (people dressed to terrify children).

She understands the reverend fathers of her church who have changed the liturgical practice of shaking hands at mass because of Ebola. She agrees that the disease is not here, but, she knows that 'prevention is better than cure'. She asks a very intelligent question: 'Why do we continue shaking hands at funerals, in the wake of Ebola'?

'Don't you think Nana (and she was referring to the potentate of Asante) can formally decree that no one should shake hands and the fiat will be carried out in Ashanti - and even farther? she quips.

Long before this millenium, Jeremiah and Ezekiel had written copiously about the affliction of plague and pestilence in Biblical times- and the Book of Revelation also talks about the Horseman of Apocalypse.

In 429 - 426 BC, the Plague of Athens struck Greece and as many as 100,000 people perished. The disease that killed them was similar to typhoid. In AD 165 - 180, a disease similar to typhoid wiped out about 30% of the population of Europe, West Asia and North Africa. When Europe suffered from Bubonic plague and lost about 40% of the population, the disease was called the Plague of Justinian because Justinian was the Emperor. Europe suffered a worse plague in 1346 - 1350 and this was called the 'Black Death'- it killed up to 70% of the population.

In 1576, a disease called 'cocolizlii' afflicted Mexico widely attributed to 'viral haemorrhagic fever'. Between 1600 and 1640, South America, England, Egypt, Italy and the Thirteen Colonies of North America suffered immensely from plague, fever, small-pox and influenza. In 1641, the Ming Dynasty of China collapsed because of the outbreak of plague. Stretching from 1660 to 1800, the Netherlands, England, France, Austria, Canada, Russia, United States of America had suffered from small pox, yellow fever, measles and plague (spread by an insect called the 'flea').

Between 1800 and 1840, Asia, Europe, Iran, USA, South Africa suffered various diseases, including cholera, bubonic plague, and smallpox. When 'epidemic typhus' hit Canada, in 1847 as many as 20,000 people lost their lives. Of course, the Russian cholera pandemic in 1852 claimed as many as 1,000,000 lives. In 1880, the world again lost 75,000,000 from influenza. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has led to the world - wide loss of over 30,000,000 between 1960 when it first broke out and now. The world is still battling for the cure.

Ebola is alleged to have sprung simultaneously in Nzara in South Sudan and Yambungu in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. The name 'Ebola' is that of a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the first victim was a classroom teacher. The disease appeared to have died down, until it resurrected in 2014. So far, the countries worst hit are Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria, and among them, 4000 deaths have so far been reported. Only one case has been reported in Cote d'Ivoire, but the patient survived. Previously, various names were given for the disease including 'haemorrhagic fever' and 'Marburg - like fever'. It was New York 'Time' that refined the name as 'Ebola', taking it from River Ebola.

The virus can spread in several ways: through direct contact with broken skin, or mucous membrane in the eye, nose or mouth; through blood or bodily fluids, including urine, saliva, sweat, faeces, vomit, tears, breast milk, or semen of a person who is sick with Ebola. Also, objects like needles and syringes that have been contaminated with the virus; or handling infected animals can help to transmit the disease. The health workers are expected to wear appropriate protective clothing, including masks, gowns, gloves, eye protectors.

There is no evidence of the virus being spread through the air or by water. Nor is it spread by mosquito or other insects; but in our part of the world (Africa), where we relish our 'bosoa' (toasted blood secretions) , chimpanzee, gorilla, fruit bats (the chest contains the luscious part), monkeys, forest antelope, porcupines which may be found dead (abofono), we need to take care what we handle or eat.

Funerals here can be very elaborate and involving. The dead body is washed and prepared for a dignified lying - in - state. People would stay around the body, while mourners pass round the body which has lain in state to pay their last respects.

Mourners would shake hands, as the body lies in state. The body would then be placed in a coffin, and taken to the cemetery. On return from the cemetery, people would find a pail of water in which they would dip their hands - to wash off the dirt and any contaminant—sans soap or detergent.

At the funeral grounds, it is 'all - greet - all', and hands are shaken, except for the spouse of the deceased (lest a sexual scoundrel woos the widow by tickling the inside of her palm).

It is this practice that makes our protective approach suspicious. The side - effects of 'Ebola' include drowsiness, fainting, irritability, fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, brachial neuritis,  body aches, joint pain, upper respiratory tract infection.

No African should flinch to hear that 'Ebola' originated from Africa. It originated from Africa - and so what? Let the world ignore it - in Dallas, Nina Pham, 26, the health care worker got infected while treating Thomas Eric Duncan who died last Sunday, being the first patient to die in the United States of America.

Margaret Chan, the Director - General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) says 'Ebola' is 'the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times… the outbreak spotlights the dangers of the world's growing social and economic inequalities. The rich get the best care. The poor are left to die.'

Picking a cue from the fact that the outbreak of 'Ebola' does '… come from irrational and disorganized effects of the public to avoid infections'. The State Attorney of Louisiana has applied to the court for an order to block the disposal of the incinerated waste of the 6 - truck - load of contaminated material collected from the apartment where Duncan lived.

Ex President John Agyekum Kufuor is reported to have said: 'Let's be careful with our culture. Let's avoid handshakes if we all want to live. We shall all die but not through handshakes.' President Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Ghana's President John Mahama showed the way when the two met recently; without the thought of 'Ebola', they might have shaken hands, hugged and even kissed the cheeks of each other. They may not be enthused about the 'guy - guy' way of using the elbow and clenched fists to greet, but it might have been good for these young men. You know, the Spanish female health worker who used inappropriate dressing costume and contracted the disease may still be suffering the pangs of not being protocol - conscious to 'Ebola'.

Yuri Alkaev, the alleged Nigerian writer, may have questions to answer for alleging a 'Breaking News' story that Ghana's international and AC Milan star, Michael Essien has contracted 'Ebola'. Essien's club has since categorically denied the story as 'unfounded'. Essien charges: 'The Ebola virus is a very serious issue and people shouldn't joke about it. Whoever wrote this article is very unprofessional and insensitive'. The Ebola Centre for West Africa is now here. What does it connote? As for me, I don't know; but what I know is that Ebola is a dreadful disease. Only 4000 killed so far. Let's pray with Duncan Williams, but let us also take necessary precautions. God does not love only Ghanaians. He casts his seeds of love equally on all mankind. Ebola has assumed an international status. Pray, but let us be careful how we deal with it.

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Africanus Owusu- Ansah