PONDER MY THOUGHTS BY Andrew Keili LET THE “DEAD” NOT BURY THEIR DEAD We all are now familiar with the higher propensity for bodies deceased by Ebola to infect relatives and other mourners. Stories abound of people washing their deceased relatives or attending funerals of deceased victims of the disease in an unguarded state. The burial teams charged with collecting and burying affected victims have faced severe challenges all over the country. Apart from the well known shenanigans of a few wayward ones, the disorganization in their ranks, poor coordination with call centres and dearth of logistics have resulted in bodies being left in a state of limbo for a few days and people taking the law into their own hands with adverse consequences for themselves and others. One newspaper story relates a typical event-“According to a resident at the home, the deceased, a mother of six, started experiencing Ebola symptoms after caring for her sick sister. She said the deceased started showing Ebola signs on Wednesday October 22, and every attempt to get ambulance through 117 toll line to collect the sick woman, proved futile. The medical team finally came for the attention of deceased on Saturday 25th October, but she died shortly after the arrival of the team. After the burial team went with the corpse, we decided to isolate ourselves based on the advice of neighbor and the Aberdeen Ebola Task Force.” Ebola burial teams in many instances have not been able to keep up with the rising number of dead, and bodies have been left to decompose at home for days as test results for the virus were slow to arrive. A recent study recommends that we should focus our attention primarily on funerals. The study concludes that nearly 70% of infections come through contact with corpses. Therefore, changing our burial practices will go a long way to halting Ebola. A recent Yale study suggested that if transmission via burial practices were eliminated, the secondary infection rate would drop below one per current Ebola case, stopping the epidemic in its tracks and may in fact be more effective than eliminating transmission in the community or in hospitals through better isolation practices. The new findings, published in the journal Science, are based on a mathematical model developed by Ebola researchers at Yale School of Public Health. Reducing transmission in hospitals and the community is insufficient to stop the exponentially growing epidemic, the Yale scientists wrote. The most effective intervention is halting burial practices in which mourners handle bodies, which are effectively serving as superspreader events. Out of desperation, the Government has now decreed that except for deaths occurring in hospitals from known non-Ebola causes, all deaths at home must now be accompanied by immediate burials of the deceased within a 24 hour period by the state. The rationale is to stop the needless spread of Ebola by leaving the body in an “unburied” state. All normal religious funerals courtesies will be extended to the family but in a more controlled manner and with a limit on the number of observers. The graves will be marked and reburials allowed after the epidemic. In Freetown all such burials will be dome at the Kingtom cemetery. Critics have been very local.”What if my ailing grandmother dies at home because of old age? What if my sick sister who suffers from a known ailment had been refused admission and treatment by several clinics as is common during this Ebola crisis which has seen clinics shut down? Why not just speed up the tests and reporting? These are all legitimate questions but it seems like the government has adopted the “extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures” position not only because of its own challenges but because of its belief that it is better to be safe than to be sorry. One group severely hit by these measures is funeral home operators who now have no clients and are hard hit financially. Whatever the case, it seems like there is hope on the horizon. The arrival of the British has put more urgency, professionalism and coordination into the burial process. The new center at the British Council manned by the British military team with assistance from Sierra Leone military personnel runs an integrated center handling calls, pick ups and burials in a very efficient manner. Incidences of bodies being left lying around for days seem to be a thing of the past. There are plans to cascade this system to other Districts. Also incidences of fake Ebola results, rogue ambulance drivers etc. would be a thing of the past. There is little doubt that some modicum of order has been brought into addressing the burial and related problems by the British Military presence. Our military is also now actively lending assistance, which makes one question why they had not been intricately involved before in this fight. The Chief of Defense Staff in declaring ‘Operation Octopus’ has said more soldiers will join the fight and LEOBATT II will be trained to work in the centers. ”Soldiers are in so many positions within the NERC, as they have soldiers in 117, burial teams, logistical support and other areas that need effective coordination”, he said. These are indeed extraordinary times and some may argue, not without merit that the Government has taken the easy way out. Others also argue convincingly that whatever you do there are so many “dead” people trying to run things in this Ebola fight with disastrous results. In these difficult times, perhaps, if only for a brief period, we should not “let the “dead” bury their dead”. ST. AUGUSTINE’S BESIEGED Don’t get me wrong. Many are grateful for the spate of road works around the capital city. The execution with regards to the inconvenience caused to traffic, pedestrians and people living along the roads continues unabated. I am quite convinced now that the contractors are a law unto themselves and think we should “thank God for small mercies”. Well last Sunday, worshippers at my Church St. Augustine’s by the President’s Lodge at Hill Station had to have some rudimentary practice in high jump, long jump and hurdles to navigate through, over and besides obstacles in their path to get to Church. With no notice, the Church’s entire front entrance was cut off by a wide and deep drainage ditch, partially concreted with spikes of iron rods protruding atop. Those who chose to navigate round by a side entrance were greeted by a pile of rubble, some leftover pipes and nails. I had to help some ladies by engaging in discus throwing and shot putting to clear their path. Some worshippers who parked in the neighboring security compound were welcomed by several groups of residents, some of whom made remarks amounting to their being neglected all this while by members at this “affluent Church”. Others parked precariously sideways along the road leaving very narrow room for traffic and being at the mercy of Okada riders. Safely ensconced in our edifice, a lone road worker who had been assigned overtime work (or so I think) was busy drowning our pastor’s voice with the loud cacophony of sounds of a hammer hit in anger to nail a long piece of board. He was eventually “appeased” to ease off for a while. The fact is the contractor FIMET like others on these roads thinks we are being done a favour. Come to think of it, I can think of several object lessons to be learned from this episode. The first – Nothing should separate us from the love of God-“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor FIMET’S gutters “. The second – We will pay closer attention to the “diamonds in our back yard”. Now that we are forced to park in our neighbour’s yard we can do a great job in evangelizing by fulfilling the great commission: “Go ye therefore into your neighbour’s compound …….. baptizing then in the name of … ” Thank you FIMET, but rush up and finish the job. Ponder my thoughts.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:52:09 +0000
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