US President Barack Obama has said stopping the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) won’t be easy but it can be achieved.
In a video, which appeared on the White House website and was aimed especially West African countries struggling in their fight to stop the outbreak of the Ebola virus, particularly residents of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria, Obama took out time to explain facts of the Ebola outbreak.
The president said: “Stopping this disease won’t be easy. But we know how to do it.
“You are not alone, together we can treat those who are sick with respect and dignity.
“We can save lives and our countries can work together to improve public health so this kind of outbreak doesn’t happen again.”
Obama warned Africans not to touch the dead bodies of people infected with Ebola, referring to the widely practiced tradition of touching and kissing the body before burial, as the virus is passed through bodily fluids of an infected person.
“You can respect your traditions and honor your loved ones without risking the lives of the living,” Obama said.
When the Ebola hit Nigeria, the government had asked America for the experimental drug ZMapp but Obama had refused the request, saying, the Ebola experimental drug won’t be sent to Africa because it’s too early.
Nigeria thought they had almost stopped the spread of Ebola in the country with only one case left until, on Thursday, August 28, the first recorded death from Ebola was confirmed in Portharcourt, a doctor who secretly treated an ECOWAS diplomat who had contact with Patrick Sawyer (index case).
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Monday, September 1 announced that 271 people suspected to have contracted the Ebola virus have been placed under surveillance.
Recently, the director of the Centers for Disease Control Tom Frieden said the Ebola epidemic currently ravaging West Africa will worsen before it gets better.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 1,500 people in West Africa and scientist worldwide are working hard at finding a vaccine for the cure of Ebola.
No comments:
Post a Comment