By Joseph Lamin Kamara
Constituency 107, which covers part of the slums at Kroobay in central Freetown, Sunday 28 September, 2014 witnessed its first sensitisation campaign since the outbreak of Ebola virus in May that has killed over 500 people.
Chairman for the governing All Peoples’ Congress in the area, Mohamed Wusu Conteh, told a gathering at Lightfoot Boston Street that their member of parliament, Osho Williams, had traveled abroad to seek better medication which had caused a slight delay for the campaigns to kick off as planned.
He said councilors in the constituency had however done some sensitisation at ward levels. “But now that our MP is back we can do our own sensitisation across the constituency,” Conteh said.
Shadrack Mopeh Williams, who chaired the occasion marking the commencement of the exercise, said he had had mixed feelings. Sad because many people had died and were still dying, and happy because they could finally sensitise their people on the deadly Ebola virus disease.
He said he was pleased that people were being informed about a disease that had posed a serious challenge for the government. He advised people to cooperate with heath service providers to fight “this dangerous disease, as it is in the interest of everybody.”
Councilor Masud Sesay called on fellow constituents to join government fight Ebola out of the country “whose people continue to face international marginalisation because many flights have been cancelled to the country.” Sesay asked them to pass the Ebola message on to their families and relatives, adding that “Ebola is serious and deadly.” Councilor Sesay warned against hiding Ebola infected people in their homes because that constituted a crime.
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Mustapha Bai Attila, said Sierra Leoneans should be hopeful if they took the necessary preventive measures. He said people should stop touching not only bodies but even railings and things of that sort.
Attila warned people to be careful about strangers and to avoid public gatherings, adding that women and children were more at risk of being affected by the outbreak. He did a stage performance with his recent album on Ebola.
Osho Williams, MP, for the constituency, said he had left the country long before Ebola broke out. He said he had returned before the recent three-day lockdown so that he could be around his people, adding that the Ebola disease was deadly.
“I want you all to listen to whatever trained personnel have to tell you about the Ebola virus disease,” Williams urged. He added that the community needed to be more committed to preventing the disease from settling in into their constituency claiming that there had been only one Ebola related death.
He thanked councilors of the area before he donated cartons of soap, powdered chlorine, hand disinfectants and buckets for hand washing.
(C) Politico 30/09/14
