Ebola contained in 6 months?
October 22, 2014
Secretary General Elhadj As Sy (pictured) told reporters on Wednesday that there would be a hefty "price for inaction" on Ebola, which has so far killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa.
Speaking on the sidelines of the International Federation of Red Cross regional conference in Beijing, Sy said there were several measures that could bring Ebola under control, including proper isolation and treatment of patients, as well as "safe burials" for the deceased.
"It will be possible, as it was possible in the past, to contain this epidemic within four to six months," he said. "This is our best prospect and we are doing everything possible to mobilize our resources and our capacities to do so."
The hemorrhagic fever has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa, with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia hardest hit. There have also been isolated cases among health workers in the United States and Spain.
While there is no cure or licensed drug to combat the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) says it expects tens of thousands of experimental Ebola vaccines to be available for testing in West Africa as early as January.
Tighter security
The WHO has warned that there could be up to 10,000 new cases of Ebola globally each week by December if stronger steps aren't taken to fight the deadly virus.
On Wednesday, the United States began channeling all passengers arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to one of five major airports conducting enhanced health checks for the virus - New York's John F. Kennedy, New Jersey's Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, and Chicago's O'Hare.
The new safeguards mean all passengers from the affected West African countries will undergo screenings for fever and have their temperature checked. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said, "We currently have in place measures to identify and screen anyone at all land, sea and air ports of entry into the United States who we have reason to believe has been present in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea in the preceding 21 days."
Meanwhile, Rwanda in East Africa has also announced new measures to prevent Ebola arriving there. The country's health minister said passengers who had been in the US or Spain in the past three weeks would be checked for symptoms and ordered to provide regular updates on their health during their stay.
"Every day ... they should call us or send an internet message," about their condition, Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho told news agency AFP.
The country, which is free of Ebola, is also banning visitors - and quarantining Rwandan citizens - who have recently travelled to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
nm/sb (Reuters, AP, AFP)