By SIMON NDIVE KALLA
T he Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital Mile I, Dr. Kinge Thompson has emphasised that all in Limbe and across the nation at large must strictly implement the measures put in place by government to combat the deadly coronavirus which has found its way into the country. In an interview he granted The SUN last March 19, 2020, Dr Kinge, frowning at the nonchalant attitude of some, said a coronavirus infected person can transmit the virus to at least three to four others, reason why everyone must remain alert. He spoke to The SUN’s Limbe City Reporter, SIMON NDIVE KALLA in this revealing chat!
Director, what is this Coronavirus all about?
The virus doesn’t have a specific treatment; so if you’re crying a headache we’ll give you something to cool down the headache; if you’re crying of fever we will give you something to bring down the fever, so the treatment is symptomatic. The only thing all of us must do is to do everything such that the infection doesn’t come to us in this community, all of us must work as one and all of us must do everything to prevent these infection not to be part of us in the country or our community.
What are your observations regarding government’s measures to curb the pandemic in Cameroon?
I have been observing the way people are behaving in Limbe within the context of the instructions given by the Prime Minister and I feel completely bad. Because it looks like the Prime Minister has only given complete holidays for people to do exactly what they might have done within Saturdays and Sundays. So personally I don’t see Limbe adhering very strictly to the measures given to Cameroonians through the Prime Minister.
What is very bad is that if we see a case in Limbe announced, only then will people believe. I truly feel very bad. Limbe doesn’t have the possibility of testing a patient for Coronavirus, making the diagnosis early and announce for people to believe. They should not wait for that to happen. If we suspect someone is infected with the Coronavirus, we’ll take samples, then we’ll have to transport these samples to Yaounde where they will test the sample if it’s positive or negative.
Once the case has been identified of being infected by the virus, such a case has infected 4 others already! That is why I said we must behave to the next person as if he or she is already infected. So we need to strictly implement the instructions of government for our safety.
Some are those who do not believe that the virus is in Cameroon?
They can’t say all these are made up stories to have money from the WHO! I don’t know if it’s ignorance of the population. It’s everywhere in the globe, people are suffering of the virus in Italy, Europe, China among others.
How can we prevent the virus?
All of us must behave as if we are already infected by the virus, such that the attitude or behaviour will be tailored towards doing only those things which will not cause us to transmit to the next person.
Also, all of us must start behaving as if the next person is already infected. Whenever we start behaving like that: if I have my hands I must keep it clean with a sanitiser or running water, step up hygiene and sanitation etc, then we may be sure to be on the safe side.
Message to the population?
Coronavirus infections are everywhere; cases have been confirmed in Yaounde, Bafoussam etc.
I urge the population of Fako Division and elsewhere, to take all necessary measures to prevent the deadly pandemic causing panic around the globe. They shouldn’t abuse the measures to respect basic hygiene, which have been instructed by the Head of State, through the Prime Minister Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute! That’s why I couldn’t have ended this talk without appreciating the measures taken by the government of Cameroon, through the Prime Minister and Head of State and the Minister of Public Health to prevent the disease. When people are told to stay at home, for example, when people have been asked not to go where not necessary to go or to avoid gathering where they’re more than 50 people, it’s to avoid that one or two who may be infected to infect others. So people should cooperate with the government to go through the present situation successfully.