By Kennedy L. Yangian
Sorpoparluken District in the undeveloped Grand Kru County has become the latest area in the Southeast to be hit by the deadly Ebola virus that had already claimed several lives in other parts of the country.
The death toll from the outbreak of the disease in this district experiencing the bad road condition had reached up to 15 persons so far, according to a civil society member who had been in the county for at least two months, now back in Monrovia. Brima Lahai Sowa told FrontPageAfrica Tuesday that the outbreak of the virus in this remote district came about when a woman suspected of the virus came from Monrovia and went to a nearby town of Kanwenkea for a visit but later fell sick and died.
He claimed that during the course of her illness another family member of hers called Comfort Duyan came from the Sorpoparluken District to take care of her, but upon her return, she too contracted the virus and died along with 15 other members of her household.
Sowa claimed that the County Health Team of Grand Kru headed by one Dr. Keita is unable to contain the current outbreak of the disease in the district due to the lack of an isolation center coupled with the lack of good road to connect the health team to the area as all the roads and bridges connecting the towns have been damaged due to the rainy season.
He said at the time of the virus outbreak citizens of the county first denied the existence of the virus and considered it to be that of witchcraft activities making the virus to increase because not many people believe in it. According to Sowa the citizens of the county had told him that they cannot cooperate with local leaders in the fight against this deadly Ebola virus because the government had been very insensitive to the plight of the citizens since the outbreak.
The civil society member stated that in order for the government to fight to eradicate the virus from the country, it had to be serious to enforce the law that will cause the people to abandon some of their traditional practices in the wake of the outbreak of this virus.
"Do you imagine that when one of the traditional leaders of Grand Kru County, died recently the people had to dance for two weeks as a sign of respect shown to their traditional leader while they ate and drink in one cup do you imagine" said Brima.
When FrontPageAfrica contacted a local journalist of the community radio the Voice of Grand Kru Eric Gbasue, he confirmed exactly what the civil society member Brima Sowa confirmed adding that the situation remains the same and no improvement yet.
Journalist Gbasue stated that because of the alarming rate of the situation the Superintendant of the County Elizabeth Dempster has contacted the UNMIL to transport the affected persons to health centers in the county, but to no avail because the UNMIL officials had told her that they have never flown to the area before to know the terrain therefore cannot take such a risk.
He told FrontPageAfrica that health workers traveling to Kanwekan on Tuesday vehicle was seized by the citizens who claimed that the health workers only go in for dead body and don't care to take away the sick where there is no isolation center in the area.
"As I speak to you now the death toll in the area has reached to 23 persons while health workers traveling to Kanweken vehicle was seized as a protest by the citizens that they are only concerned about dead bodies and not to treat the sick" said Journalist Gbasue.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201410081180.html
Sorpoparluken District in the undeveloped Grand Kru County has become the latest area in the Southeast to be hit by the deadly Ebola virus that had already claimed several lives in other parts of the country.
The death toll from the outbreak of the disease in this district experiencing the bad road condition had reached up to 15 persons so far, according to a civil society member who had been in the county for at least two months, now back in Monrovia. Brima Lahai Sowa told FrontPageAfrica Tuesday that the outbreak of the virus in this remote district came about when a woman suspected of the virus came from Monrovia and went to a nearby town of Kanwenkea for a visit but later fell sick and died.
He claimed that during the course of her illness another family member of hers called Comfort Duyan came from the Sorpoparluken District to take care of her, but upon her return, she too contracted the virus and died along with 15 other members of her household.
Sowa claimed that the County Health Team of Grand Kru headed by one Dr. Keita is unable to contain the current outbreak of the disease in the district due to the lack of an isolation center coupled with the lack of good road to connect the health team to the area as all the roads and bridges connecting the towns have been damaged due to the rainy season.
He said at the time of the virus outbreak citizens of the county first denied the existence of the virus and considered it to be that of witchcraft activities making the virus to increase because not many people believe in it. According to Sowa the citizens of the county had told him that they cannot cooperate with local leaders in the fight against this deadly Ebola virus because the government had been very insensitive to the plight of the citizens since the outbreak.
The civil society member stated that in order for the government to fight to eradicate the virus from the country, it had to be serious to enforce the law that will cause the people to abandon some of their traditional practices in the wake of the outbreak of this virus.
"Do you imagine that when one of the traditional leaders of Grand Kru County, died recently the people had to dance for two weeks as a sign of respect shown to their traditional leader while they ate and drink in one cup do you imagine" said Brima.
When FrontPageAfrica contacted a local journalist of the community radio the Voice of Grand Kru Eric Gbasue, he confirmed exactly what the civil society member Brima Sowa confirmed adding that the situation remains the same and no improvement yet.
Journalist Gbasue stated that because of the alarming rate of the situation the Superintendant of the County Elizabeth Dempster has contacted the UNMIL to transport the affected persons to health centers in the county, but to no avail because the UNMIL officials had told her that they have never flown to the area before to know the terrain therefore cannot take such a risk.
He told FrontPageAfrica that health workers traveling to Kanwekan on Tuesday vehicle was seized by the citizens who claimed that the health workers only go in for dead body and don't care to take away the sick where there is no isolation center in the area.
"As I speak to you now the death toll in the area has reached to 23 persons while health workers traveling to Kanweken vehicle was seized as a protest by the citizens that they are only concerned about dead bodies and not to treat the sick" said Journalist Gbasue.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201410081180.html
