Ebola, greatest challenge to Africa-WHO

As the dreaded Ebola virus disease ravages across countries within the West African sub-region, country representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Rui Vaz, has described Ebola as the greatest challenge facing the whole continent of Africa. He however solicited for cooperation among nations to ensure the containment of the virus to save lives in Africa.

He made the appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on his tour of the state where Ebola has reared its ugly face to help mobilise efforts to stamp out the threat.

According to Vaz “It is the biggest challenge in Africa, we should pray and work”. He said under the supervision of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the anti-Ebola effort had reached up to 96 percent coverage.

Vaz commended the efforts put by Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the health commissioner, Sampson Parker, for quick response, saying that WHO deployed its staff immediately to Port Harcourt when news of Ebola virus disease broke in the state.

He said that health workers in the public and private hospitals in Rivers State have been trained to handle the Ebola Issue. He called for proper diagnosis of those who have had contacts with suspects or carriers.

The country representative noted that in the training everybody should be involved in including the media which must show a strong resolve to play its role. He cautioned that the role of the media to disseminate information efforts should be made to avoid sensationalism and inducement of panic in the minds of the public.

Vaz advised the media to emphasise more on measures to contain the spread and not to dwell on the figures or numbers of infected persons.

Responding, the commissioner for health, Rivers State stateds that the Ebola containment was not a matter to be left in the hands of the Rivers State Ministry of Health. He noted that the presence of WHO in the country was to provide technical support to the Federal Ministry of Health.
The commissioner appealed that stakeholders including private hospitals should be involved in the fight against Ebola virus, adding that both private and public health workers had been trained on the proper handling of the Ebola case.