The World Health Organisation has raised fresh alarm that over 20,000 people are at risk of contracting the Ebola Virus Disease going by the exponential effect of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The WHO in a terse statement in Geneva on Thursday stated that so far, 1,552 persons have died of Ebola and called on various governments to deploy strategies towards containing the deadly disease. It noted that over 120 health care workers have died in the Ebola outbreak, and twice that number have been infected.
The global body said going by the current assessment of the situation in Sierra Leona, Liberia and Guinea, there was an urgent need to combat the outbreak in the four West African nations.
The WHO states,
“The death toll now stands at 1,552. The aggregate case load of Ebola Virus Disease could exceed 20,000 over the course of this emergency. This roadmap assumes that in many areas of intense transmission, the actual number of cases may be two-four fold higher than that cases that are currently reported.”
“The deadly outbreak that began in Guinea in March and has spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as to Nigeria requires a massive and coordinated international response.”
The United Nations agency called on health authorities in affected capital cities to intensify surveillance so as to stop the exponential transmission of the disease.
“Response activities must be adapted in areas of very intense transmission and particular attention must be given to stopping transmission in capital cities and major ports, thereby facilitating the larger response and relief effort.”
Meanwhile, UN health agencies are working on a roadmap which would be inaugurated in September to stop the transmission of the disease in affected countries within six to nine months. The road map works towards the establishment of more treatment centres, provision of more personal protective equipment, disinfectants and body bags for health workers in affected countries.
TSB would like to urge Nigerians to maintain/improve their sanitary habits. Wash your hands, avoid unnecessary contact with people and keep your surroundings clean and healthy. Also wash food items properly before ingestion. Most importantly, stay away from bush meat (for now) and report any suspected cases promptly. Having done this, Ebola would be curbed/eradicated from our country.