CULTURE AS A DOMINANT FACTOR TO THE SPREAD OF COVID-19

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Ever since Kenya recorded her first case of corona virus the number of confirmed cases has constantly been rising and 57 days later we don’t seem to be doing any better in fact things are getting worse.

With Nairobi metropolitan region and Mombasa [the two big cities in the country] having the huge chunk of the already confirmed 607 cases,hence being the most affected counties in the country, it has also emerged that new epicenters are also forming within these two counties.

So far the month of May has emerged to be our darkest month as far as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is concerned. Within the first week of May alone Kenya has recorded double digit figures in terms of confirmed cases. In these seven days alone  more than 1/3 of the already confirmed positive cases nationally.

Of late it has been noted that Eastleigh in Nairobi metropolitan region and Old Town in Mombasa county are emerging as the new Covid-19 epicenters. These two neighborhoods have recorded a sharp increase in the number of confirmed cases compared to other neighborhoods in the country. This prompted me to do a background check on what could be a possible reason behind these high numbers and culture turned out to be a dominant factor attributing to the high number of cases of Covid-19 being recorded within these neighborhoods.

Basically culture refers to the idea,customs and social behavior of a particular people or society, hence it is the way of living of a particular group of people or community.For instance let me begin with Old Town in Mombasa county. Old Town has a very rich history dating back to the pre colonial era. Old Town is home to Fort Jesus a historical monument that was built by the Portuguese and it is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

As a result of this rich history, Old Town attracts a lot of tourists and history scholars who come to visit the area hence there is a high probability that before Kenya closed her air space some of the tourists who are asymptomatic might have spread the disease to the locals unknowingly. The inhabitants of Old Town are mainly the Swahili people and the dominant religion is Islam. The Swahili people are known to be loving and welcoming people and they usually live together in extended families. This means that within one household you are likely to find at least 8 family members whereas the average number of family members per household in Kenya is 4. This means that in the circumstance where a single member of the family is infected the entire extended family is likely to get sick. It has also been noticed that a lot of people take precaution measures only when in public and act normally upon returning back home. Within the houses visitors and neighbors are hugged and greeted normally as if its business as usual and this makes the homes a safe breeding ground for the spread of corona virus.

Being the Holy month of Ramadan,and a majority of Old Town residents being Muslims,this means they perform the religious obligation of fasting which is one of the five pillars of Islam. As per the Islamic culture it is sunnah having meals together hence most of the times neighbors invite each other for iftar meals in the evening where they sit together and share a meal on the same plate. This could also be another reason as to why high cases are being recorded in Old Town.

Despite Eastleigh being in Nairobi which is a cosmopolitan region, this neighborhood is mainly inhabited by the Kenyan Somalis who happens to be the dominant tribe in the area. On average, a Somali household can have upto nine family members a trend attributed to their culture. Somalis are mainly Muslims and since their religion permits them to be polygamous, they tend to bear many children hence having big families. Most of these family members interact and share household items among themselves

Out of the already confirmed cases nationally, it has been noticed that most of these infections occurred at the community and family levels.That my opinion in regards to the correct spread of the infection.

''Past Event ''Youths sharing there Murral to the County on the Investment health of Young people''

Call to Action

 It is because of this that I call upon everyone to exercise precautions even when at home.We can still invite our friends and neighbors for iftar meals but we can not continue doing it the same way we have been doing it . We can have meals together but on different plates while still practicing social distancing. Let us regularly clean surfaces shared with other family members such as door hinges,remotes,toilets,chairs etc in order to avoid spread of infection at the family level.

To the Government they should increase household support for essential items like Food and water.

More mass testing center should created to help people get tested and also assure the people of the free treatment fee for  Covid19  patients who are found positive,

Let us all remember the words of our Health Cabinet Secretary,”If we continue to behave normally, this disease will treat us abnormally.”

  

Opinion  from Youth Champion Clinton Ndege  [Pwani Youth Network writing Department]