Letter From The President: Embarrassing cholera outbreak

Countrymen and women, loyalists and opponents

I heard recently that there was a cholera outbreak in some parts of the country, notably in Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Takoradi. It is not yet clear whether the outbreak has been brought under control. But I know that it might have claimed dozens of lives by now. I was not wholly surprised about the outbreak. Our country is full of garbage. There is garbage everywhere ? on the streets, in the gutters, in our backyards and even in schools. We all seem to have rejected the rules of environmental and personal hygiene. So I am not surprised that we occasionally get cholera outbreaks and people die.

In the more enlightened parts of the world, cholera is not a disease. It doesn?t even exist. They are battling against diseases like bird flu and mad cow disease ? relatively new diseases with the potential to wreak major havoc. With wisdom and the right knowledge, they will conquer these diseases.