International update: response to Ebola outbreak in Liberia
11 September 2014
September 17, 2014
Ebola is a health crisis ‘unparalleled in modern times’ according to the United Nations, while US President Barack Obama has described tackling the outbreak as a ‘daunting task’.
The Salvation Army is now stepping up its emergency response in the West African nation of Liberia.
Nationwide curfews and travel restrictions have been enforced to limit the spread of the virus, with schools closed and non-essential workers being advised to stay at home. The Salvation Army’s primary focus is now on the Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital, which has become the country’s main centre for treating patients diagnosed with or suspected of carrying Ebola.
In cooperation with other agencies, The Salvation Army’s William Booth Clinic team along with trained emergency responders from the church and charity’s headquarters in Monrovia, are partnering to help around 5,000 affected individuals. The Salvation Army has access to a number of family homes that have been quarantined and clean drinking water, food packages and protective clothing continue to be provided.
Read more
September 10, 2014
Liberia is facing a ‘serious threat’ from the Ebola virus which is ‘spreading like wildfire’ according to its defence minister Brownie Samukai in an address to the UN Security Council. The Salvation Army has joined the fight against this deadly disease through a number of initiatives in the West African nation, where 2,000 people have been diagnosed.
Forty volunteer workers have been recruited to bolster The Salvation Army’s mobile medical clinic team in the country. The World Health Organization is concerned that at present ‘the number of new cases is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them’ and there is currently no vaccine available to combat the disease. Prevention is, therefore, key to the emergency response.