NEWS ANALYSIS

 By Peterkins Manyong, guest writer and publisher of The Independent Observer
 
Ebola killing cowards before their deaths

 

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the Valliant taste of death but once,”- Shakespeare. These words are uttered by Julius Caesar in the play with that title. Caesar further tells those predicting his death that 20 more years added to one’s life are 20 years of fearing death. The fear of death has never been manifested so much in Cameroon as that evoked by the Ebola virus.

The method of its spread and the rapidity with which it snuffs life out of its victims makes HIV/AIDS innocent by comparison. Even cholera which at the time of writing this analysis is on record as having exterminated 74 victims, is far less dreaded than Ebola. What makes the Ebola virus such a nightmare is not only the fact that doctors and nurses are perishing from it, but also the fact that no ray of hope appears in the horizon.

The fact that two Americans have already exported it to the US means even Barack Obama is not safe and if the White House has it, there is no stopping its voyage to Etoudi.

The absence of any assurance from the World Health Organisation makes the situation more hopeless and where the scientist fails the only source of hope is the Prophet. This explains why T.B. Joshua’s prescription of a salt bath as well as oral intake of water mixed with salt has been so hastily-embraced. The prescription also includes rubbing Vaseline. This adds to the recommendation of “bitter kola’’ and the warning that the consumption of pork, bats and chimpanzees be suspended.

This analyst is not in a position to state if all these recommendations can halt the Ebola virus or not, especially with information, through unsubstantiated, that it is airborne. Its presence in neighbouring Nigeria fuels the speculation that it could already be in Cameroon; given the near-unrestricted movements across the long borders between the two countries. Even before the rumour that there was a victim at the Laquintini Hospital in Douala, text messages had already transported the disease to Nguti, Mamfe and then to Yaounde.

There is, however something positive in this comedy of text messages. It means Cameroonians attach value to life as opposed to citizens of some countries where suicide is the order of the day. Suicide is the consequence where hope is lost; no matter what justification suicide bombers may give for indulging in it. Those who manipulate their bombers know that a single virgin on earth is better than the 72 promised the suicide bombers in heaven.

Talking about the love of life or rather the fear of death, no rational human being can think otherwise. The celebrated Dr. Johnson tells us in Boswell’s “life of Johnson that there has never been a time when death ceased to be terrible to him. According to him, if a single part of the body paining can keep one awake a whole night, imaging a situation where the whole body is paining. Persons who die after protracted illness feel less pain than victims of the Ebola virus.

 The panic created among Cameroonians by media reports about Ebola is understandable. RODCOD GOBATA tells us that we cannot avoid war by fearing it. Similarly, we can’t prevent the spread of the Ebola virus simply by being aware of its existence and its marathon spread. The Guardian Post was therefore justified in its editorial last Monday when it blamed government for only creating a committee without stating if that committee had funds to enable it function.

 A regime that is not moved by threats of harm to its citizens is not only lost but irredeemable. The Biya-led regime spends money on development or health as if it is a favour and not an obligation. Whether Ebola is cultured in the laboratory to check population as it is said was the case with HIV/AIDS; whether it is a strategy to halt poaching for bush meat and other animal products; or a diabolic scheme to impoverish pig farming by discouraging pork consumption, the fact is that Ebola is around the corner if not already here.

The conclusion therefore is that it is like fire on the house. When this happens, the fire owner does not distinguish between friends and foes in his efforts to extinguish the flames, he accepts water from both. In the absence of a prescription from the World Health Organisation, Cameroonians should apply the only remedy recommended so long as there is no health risk in it. The fear of Ebola is like the fear of hell. It is better to believe hell exists and follow what the Bible says should be done to avoid going to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

If “bitter kola” for example, does not prevent Ebola, it can reduce the risks of intestinal problems. Salty water can be detrimental to the high blood patient, but not lethal. Vaseline doesn’t burn. Those who have nothing useful to propose should keep their mouths shut. It is better to keep quiet and be called a fool than to open your mouth and prove yourself one.