ADB earmarks $60m for Ebola fight
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The Deputy Health Minister Dr Victor Bampoe says the Africa Development Bank has earmarked $60m for countries affected by the Ebola virus.
A further $150million is available by way of loans and grants to non-ebola affected countries in the sub-region.
Dr Bampoe told Joy News the amount is part of efforts in galvanising resources to fight a canker that is threatening to eliminate entire communities in the West African sub-region.
Already over 1,400 people have been killed by the virus with over 2,000 reported cases.
The World Health Organisation says over 20,000 more could be affected.
Addressing a Conference of Health Ministers in West Africa to strategise in the fight against Ebola, ECOWAS chairman President John Mahama reiterated his commitment towards the fight against Ebola.
He criticised the ban on flights to countries that have recorded the Ebola case saying such measures were only to isolate and ostracize the affected countries.
John Mahama called for more collaboration in the fight against the canker and promised to put Ghana’s Armed Forces to help out in the fight against Ebola.
His Deputy Health Minister Dr Bampoe said the country is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
He told Joy News’ Evans Mensah they have strengthened surveillance to ensure early detection of Ebola cases.
He said Ebola thrives heavily on “fear and misinformation” adding his outfit and allied institutions are trying very hard to disseminate information and educate people about the virus.
He described as unfortunate news about the failure of Port health authorities to screen some Ghanaians said to have come to Ghana from Sierra Leone.
The nine persons actually transited from Senegal before coming to Ghana.
The Deputy Minister said it was a lapse that was identified and corrected the following day.
He said they have since asked the people involved to return for screening.
As a result, all passengers from flights coming from the sub region now have to be screened, Dr Bampoe indicated.
By: Nathan Gadugah
ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson
[email protected] An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.
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