By Jonathan Abass Kamara
Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad are in high spirit towards achieving Zero Ebola victory come Saturday November 7, 2015 when WHO is expected to declare end of the outbreak.
The Ebola battle was tense with a death toll of thousands of people including nurses, doctors, Laboratory Technicians, Porters, Nursing Aides and Midwives.
The deaths of those medical practitioners and other Sierra Leoneans through the Ebola scourge pose many challenges and obstacles in matrimonial homes, single family life, the public and private sectors. The Banks, Airlines, traders, farmers, cinemas, bars and restaurants, hotels, sporting activities and trade fairs all have their own stories to tell as we hope to optimistically jump and celebrate sky-high the victory of concerted efforts.
The lesson the Ebola virus disease outbreak has taught us is that patriotism and team work is key for the development of our nation. The Ebola fight was non-partisan. The Green, Orange, Mauve and other colours dropped their party colours and banners and put on a weapon of patriotism to collectively fight and defeat Ebola. Parliamentarians, Councilors, Traditional and Religious Leaders, the Media, Civil Society groups, Youth groups, the Police, Military, Office of the National Security (ONS), Cabinet Ministers, health development partners and patriotic Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora all contributed positively to ensure we end the Ebola war before 2016.
Kudos to our health workers who continue working courageously and professionally in spite of their colleagues whose deaths we still mourn, and hopefully would remember them during the Post Ebola era with a National Memorial Service. Thank God we now have the Safe and Dignified burial in the cemetery of our choice, and would now see the face of our loved ones before burial as compared to the dark days of the dreadful Ebola. The “Don’t Touch” will soon pass away and the culture of handshake would no longer be a tradition of “Namaste” as practiced by the Indians. As we hopefully expect to celebrate the end of Ebols with 42 days of Zero infection, let it also be a reflection of the dead and a celebration of joy and sorrow.
In the quest for jubilation, let us seriously think about the re-emergence of the Ebola, and the Guinea situation which has a potential attack. With regards the Guinea situation, intensified surveillance and security measures must be put in place. In the area of complacency, my candid advice to Sierra Leoneans across the country is to continue to observe all the protocols on infection prevention and control the awareness raising sensitization messages and the hygiene and sanitation practices. Our challenge as a nation that suffers the unpredictable magnitude of the global historic Ebola outbreak is for us to continue fighting to “Sustainable Zero”, and this brings me to the topic: “The Ebola battle! Who gets the credit on Saturday November 7, 2015?
The answer is simple and straight forward: We have a good Shepherd with a strategic and resilient leadership quality that we as patriotic Sheep of the State fellow. The Shepherd talking about here is President Koroma. The President, is a man that respects the opinion and voice of the voiceless. He listens when the people shouts, he listens when civil society shouts, he listens to all including the press, political parties, religious and traditional leaders, and takes appropriate collective action. His Social Mobilization Campaign had driven intervention within his wisdom to lead and come Saturday November 7, 2015 we shall all be proud to say we did not regret being onboard the campaign train together.
Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad, we fought and we have won. Our patriotism has finally won the Ebola battle. The Credit goes to us all. Let me now end with this farewell message in Krio found in my Whatsapp
EBOLA DON GO!
WE TELL GOD TENKI WAE EBOLA DON GO
GEE WE PIPUL DEM PLENTI YAGBA
GEE WE PLENTI KOT HEART
WE NOR DAE SLIP NA NET
NA WE PIPUL DEM NOR MOR WE DAE TINK BOT. EBOLA BYE BYE OH! BYE BYE!
NA YU BAK WE WAN SEE
BYE BYE EBOLA!
