United Nations debate anti-Ebola measures

25 settembre 2014

2 min di lettura

(AGI) New York, Sept 25 - A meeting of world leaders andinternational organisations to discuss new measures against thespreading Ebola virus was held on Thursday on the sidelines ofthe United Nations General Assembly. On Wednesday, NigerianPresident President Goodluck Jonathan told an applauding UNAssembly that Nigeria was free of the deadly Ebola virus. "Wecan confidently say that today Nigeria is Ebola free," he said."Nigeria is Ebola free," he said a second time to furtherapplause. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said eight peoplehave died out of 20 confirmed cases in Nigeria, while theNigerian government has given a lower figure of seven deaths in19 cases. Before Goodluck's address, the head of the EmergencyOperation Centre for Ebola in Lagos, Faisal Shuaib, had urgedcaution: "The outbreak in Nigeria can be declared officiallyover only if there are no more cases after 42 days," he said.According to the WHO, Nigeria has not reported any new casessince Sept. 8, which means Nigeria could be declared free ofEbola on Oct. 20 if no further cases are found. The situationis different in Sierra Leone, where the government has orderedthe quarantine "with immediate effect" of three districts and12 tribal chiefdoms, affecting more than one million people.President Ernest Bai Koroma announced in a televised address onWednesday that the districts of Port Loko, Bombali and Moyambawere to be closed off. The authorities had also ordered peopleto stay at home during the weekend of Sept. 18 to 21. Indoor-to-door searches during the curfew, more than 350suspected new cases of Ebola were identified. Health workersalso informed people about the way the virus is transmitted,and distributed soap. The recent outbreak of Ebola has exposedthe lack of infrastructure and limited resources in Africa,said South Africa's President Jacob Zuma. "The recent outbreakof Ebola in some West African States and the number of livesthat have been unnecessarily lost is one clear example of thechallenges that developing countries continue to contend with.We believe that Ebola would have been contained within a fewdays had it been an outbreak in the developed World," saidPresident Zuma. .