AFRO-NETS> WHO reports first probable case of SARS in Africa (3)

[Adukwei Hesse <mawhn@wwwplus.com>]

WHO reports first probable case of SARS in Africa (3)
-----------------------------------------------------

Dear Atsu,

I appreciate that conditions at home and what is happening in the war 
are depressing and cynicism is likely to show itself. But there is 
more to life than looking at problems and lamenting. Even the best 
health care systems have problems with epidemics and with this epi-
demic in particular. 

As a district director of health services you ought to be providing 
solutions with the little that you have. What solutions can we offer 
for this epidemic? This is an imported epidemic coming from specific 
parts of the world. I think public education of symptoms and back-
ground information will help. Involving personnel at our airports and 
other points of entry into our country is crucial. Involving the air-
line industry for their staff to inform and identify passengers of 
symptoms and actions to take, just as they do for emergency activi-
ties on flights will also help. 

Fortunately, we in Africa have only one international airport per 
country so it is easier to "police". We also have very few flights 
coming directly from affected countries and not many travel to those 
places. In Ghana the MOH has initiated such activities. 

Can I ask you? What initiatives have you taken for your district? Let 
us all be thinking about what practical solutions we can offer for 
the many problems that we have. Let us not look at the problems but 
at solutions. 

Cheers, 
Rev. Prof. Adukwei Hesse
mailto:mawhn@wwwplus.com
--
To send a message to AFRO-NETS, write to: afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe afro-nets OR unsubscribe afro-nets
To contact a person, send a message to: afro-nets-help@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.afronets.org