Ebola: What is the role of Africa?

Since the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa last year, over 9,000 people have lost their lives. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the disease has been contained. In fact, the number of Ebola cases are declining rapidly.

For Africa, this is good news. At least there is progress in containing and ultimately eliminating the disease. According to health officials, the 2014 outbreak is the worst in the history of the deadly disease since its discovery in 1976. As such, the current fight against the disease has been an uphill battle.

The figures speak for themselves. This was a humanitarian catastrophe. To date 3,686 deaths have been reported in Liberia, 3,199 in Sierra Leon, 1,910 in Guinea and around eight in Nigeria. The total number of reported cases stands at 21,797 according to WHO.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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