Published: 4 July 2014
Geneva/Accra 4 July 2014 - The Red
Cross joins ministers of health from eleven West African countries and
other partners in calling for an all-out assault on the Ebola virus
disease outbreak. It is a commitment needed at all levels, including
governments, stakeholders, communities, and religious and opinion
leaders if the largest Ebola outbreak in history in terms of number of
cases and affected countries is to be stopped.
This commitment was made at the end of a special
ministerial meeting on the Ebola virus disease in West Africa convened
by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Accra, Ghana, this week.
Participants believe that no one should be left behind
in the fight against Ebola, one of the most contagious diseases which
has already claimed the lives of hundreds of people in West Africa. As
of 3 July, the cumulative total of Ebola cases in the three affected
countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone stands at more than 750,
with nearly 500 deaths.
They also warned that this deadly disease could spread beyond the already affected countries if urgent action is not taken.
Participants adopted a common inter-country strategy,
calling for an accelerated response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak.
The strategy stresses the urgent need to scale up communication
efforts, social mobilization, surveillance, contact tracing, case
management and cross-border collaboration while calling for more
research, especially from African researchers, to pay special attention
to the epidemic. Community, religious and opinion leaders also need to
be involved to break through the resistance that many humanitarian
actors are encountering on the ground.
“This is the first time Ebola has surfaced in West
Africa and many people are showing their fears by refusing to admit the
existence of the disease and by preventing some aid organizations from
entering their communities,” says Dr Ben Adinoyi Adeiza, International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) health
coordinator in Africa.
This community resistance is exacerbated by rumours
and myths about Ebola which can hinder the work of individuals and
organisations working to contain the disease.
“We, and other humanitarian organisations, have had
several security incident since the beginning of the response,” says
Aliou Boly, Ebola operations manager for IFRC in Guinea. “There has been
an increasing number of incidents in the last weeks which is hampering
the response of our volunteers and staff on the ground. We need to be
ensured of their security and safety so they can carry on their
humanitarian duties in the best possible way. Education and social
mobilization to change behavior are vital to stopping this disease in
its tracks and to allay fear and stigma attached to it.”
Participants also called on African governments, ECOWAS
(the regional network of 16 countries), and other partners to mobilize
and dedicate special funds to the response.
Since the outbreak was first announced, the Red Cross
has launched emergency operations in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,
through which more than 2,000 volunteers are being trained and mobilized
to share key messages of prevention and protection. In neighbouring
Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, a further 686 volunteers have been
sharing similar messages for the past two months, to prepare communities
should the virus spread further across the region. Money from the
IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund has been released to support these
preparedness efforts.
For further information, please contact:
In Dakar:
· Moustapha Diallo, senior regional communications officer, IFRC
Mobile: + 221 631 13 486 E-mail: moustapha.diallo@ifrc.org
In Sierra Leone:
· Katherine Mueller, communications manager, IFRC Africa
Mobile: +251 930 03 3413 E-mail: katherine.mueller@ifrc.org
In Geneva:
· Benoit Carpentier, senior officer, public communications, IFRC
Mobile : +41 79 213 24 13 E-mail : benoit.carpentier@ifrc.org
http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/africa/ghana/west-africa-concrete-coordinated-action-is-needed-now-to-stop-the-spread-of-ebola-virus-disease/
