Once upon a time, fear was our greatest motivator. When COVID-19 swept through our cities, we became prisoners of our own homes. We washed our hands religiously, wore masks like shields, and kept our distance as though human touch itself was a curse. Safety measures became a way of life—until the danger faded from sight.
Then, as the world slowly returned to normal, so did our recklessness. The pandemic waned, and with it, our sense of caution. We laughed in the face of the very rules that once protected us, treating them as distant memories of a past we wanted to forget.
The disease spreads through dirty hands, contaminated water, and negligence, yet we act as if we have learnt nothing from the past.
Before the election, cholera was around.
We did not consider the warnings and all but rather went ahead with the election
Now cholera is spreading so fast.
The signs were there. The first cases emerged quietly, unnoticed by many, dismissed as isolated incidents. But soon, the numbers grew. Hospitals began filling up with patients suffering from dehydration and fever, their bodies betraying them as they gasped for relief. Still, the streets remained packed, handshakes exchanged without hesitation, food bought from unsanitary vendors, and hygiene forgotten.
“Wash your hands,” Health professionals tell us. But who listens? The Veronica buckets, once placed at the entrance of institutions, schools, shops, churches and the rest are now gone.
The habit of carrying hand sanitizer has also disappeared. People drink from questionable sources, eat with unwashed hands, and shrug off the warnings like distant echoes.
History repeats itself, not because fate wills it, but because we allow it. We saw death once and defied it. Now, we invite it back with open arms.
The irony is painful: we possess the knowledge to stop this, yet we choose ignorance. We do not just suffer from diseases—we invite them, nurture them, and spread them.
As the death toll rises, as families mourn their loved ones, as the hospitals struggle under the weight of the sick, one truth becomes undeniable—we bring our own doom.
Are we ever going to learn?
It is about time we go back to the days of staying safe by practicing proper personal hygiene and good sanitation practices.
By Jessie B.A Okae
Ghana l Atinkaonline.com