Worrisome Covid-19 ignorance

IT is disheartening that many people of Katuba constituency in Central Province are still ignorant about the Covid-19 pandemic since the disease broke out over a month ago. This is a great source of concern which must be dealt with as a matter of urgency because it is a serious stumbling block in the fight […]

Worrisome Covid-19 ignorance
IT is disheartening that many people of Katuba constituency in Central Province are still ignorant about the Covid-19 pandemic since the disease broke out over a month ago. This is a great source of concern which must be dealt with as a matter of urgency because it is a serious stumbling block in the fight against the pandemic. It is certain that the on-going sensitisation campaigns about the disease on radio, TV, newspapers and other platforms have not made an impact in this area. This is why something should be done quickly to ensure sensitisation messages reach all the people in Katuba where last week, information reaching this newspaper, indicated that people in five areas of the constituency were not aware of the virus. In a recent Sun edition, this problem of ignorance came to the fore again when a team of health response network and Patriotic Front Central Province mobilisation chairperson Charity Kapona conducted a sensitisation campaign in the area.  Organised Vendors and Traders Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited (OVTRAMCOS) deputy chairperson, Jeffrey Katoposha whose organisation was part of the awareness drive, said compliance with health measures was a challenge in the area because people were still ignorant about Covid-19. Mr Katoposha said there was need for more sensitisation among the people before the virus spreads to the area.  Indeed prevention is better than cure. The sooner people are equipped with the necessary knowledge about the disease the better as this will help them understand the importance of adhering to the health control guidelines. For an area where not all people had access to radio, TV, newspapers and other internet platforms to access sensitisation messages, authorities and stakeholders need to go flat out conducting outreach awareness drives including using drama. This is why it is gratifying to learn that the Health Response Team working with the PF, OVTRAMCOS and the Commuter Rights Association of Zambia (CRAZ) were on the ground conducting sensitisation campaigns in the constituency.  But Katuba constituency could as well be a reflection of what was obtaining on the ground in other far-flung constituencies where people were equally blank about Covid-19.  We implore the Ministry of Health and stakeholders to work together and seriously look into this situation.  Perhaps it’s time for the Ministry of Health in conjunction with stakeholders to take stock and establish which areas were still in the dark about Covid-19 as the case was in Katuba constituency.  A rapid countrywide assessment of the situation could perhaps help come up with a clear picture of the situation in the country. In the event that this was not done, undertaking a robust countrywide Covid-19 sensitisation drive without leaving out the remotest areas, would be the panacea under the present circumstances. Yes, a lot has been achieved in terms of the ongoing Covid-19 sensitisation campaigns but the situation in Katuba shows that more work still needs to be done in terms of raising awareness about the pandemic. Unless this is done, the problem of ignorance will keep surfacing and bring the efforts to curtail the spread of the disease to nothing. Nip ignorance in the bud now! The Sun