THE ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE: AFRICAN'S SILLY TAKE IT ISSUES NOT PARTICULARLY AFFECTING COMMUNITIES IN EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS.

Call me a negative person for pointing how silly the ALS ice bucket challenge has been portrayed, especially in Africa where more prominent health challenges are decimating our livelyhoods daily and no one is pointing this out. To reveal how insignificant the disease is in Africa, google search had no search suggestions for the ''ALS statistics in africa''

Before i'm brutally crucified and let to rot in the baking sun, i don't condemn the awareness campaign for the motor neuron disease. My grouse is with Africans, especially celebrities, mostly made up of football stars, film stars, music stars and other high profile personalities dousing themselves with ice cold water which in any case is a travesty in itself as most Africans don't have easy access to fresh clean water to drink so most consume whatever water they can find to raise awareness for ALS. I watched a few of the videos, from Emmanuel Adebayor, to Nigerian Goal keeper Vincent Enyeama and music mogul Dan jazzy drenching themselves with buckets. It is not all bad but one would have expected them to highlight the health issues affecting us presently with the challenge, hijacking the ALS and promoting the battle against Malaria, Ebola and Hepatitis. There is a recent rise in testicular cancer among men, breast cancer among women and the wanton negligence of hepatitis virus.

Thanks to Ghanaian on air personality Kati G who has started a campaign on Ebola, i doubt it will catch on though as we in Africa never take our health issues seriously.

GHANAIN KAT G'S EBOLA ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

DON JAZZY, NIGERIAN MUSIC MOGUL

 MICHAEL ESSIEN, GHANAIAN SOCCER STAR

 MICHAEL ESSIEN, GHANAIAN SOCCER STAR

THE EBOLA CHALLENGE

The last few weeks unfortunately have proven how ill prepared we are for medical disasters in some parts of West Africa. Wish I could say this lack or preparedness is limited to the countries presently battling the Ebola scourge but it goes far beyond and has just taken special grace that the most ill prepared countries have so far been spared the scourge. 

We at this organisation wish well and pray for all medical personnel in Guinee, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria battling to contain the spread of this deadly virus. These are brave men and women who have sworn on oath to shield us with their lives when scourges like this spring up. Daily we read of the brave efforts of people who we don't know, all we see is men and women in protective clothings administering care to the effected or burying the dead. 

For every Dr Omar Khan in Sierra Leone and Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh in Nigeria and the countless medical warriors in Liberia and Guinee who have tried all they can within their limit to contain the spread of the disease we say God bless and protect you. 

To those who have lost their lives like Dr Khan and the Nigerian Nurse, may God grant you rest and give your family the strenght to live on. 

Viruses as well as many other deadly organisms only spread in dirty environs, lets keep our surroundings clean.