President John Dramani Mahama has called the attention of western countries to the impact of the deadly Ebola virus on the African continent.
Addressing the nations at this year's 69th UN General Assembly, President John Mahama empathized with African countries infested by the disease and called for global support.
According to him, the disease is not peculiar to Africa but spreads across the world, for that matter; countries such as Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia should not be sidelined.
“Ebola is just not a Liberian problem. Ebola is not Sierra Leonean or Guinean problem. Ebola is a problem that belongs to the world because it’s a disease that knows no boundaries…We must erase the stigma.”
President Mahama, who spoke passionately during the UN Summit, narrated to the gathering his experiences with the three Ebola-infected countries.
He intimated that, on his trip to the countries last Monday, he was alarmed by the rate of deaths resulting from the epidemic.
He recounted that these nations have for years suffered wars and other violent incidents and their plight has been compounded by the disease. This is because the Ebola scare deprives the people of love and comfort.
“True progress relies on neither victory nor defeat. True progress relies on persistence, on perseverance.
“These are nations that were struggling to rebuild their social and economic infrastructure. Even before the outbreak of Ebola, these countries were already operating with limited resources and with an insufficient number of treatment facilities and the shortage of qualified medical personnel. So far there have been 5843 recorded cases of Ebola including 2803 deaths.
“The World Health Organization predicts that if the disease is not brought under control, the number of cases could easily rise to 20,000 by as early as November," he said.
He bemoaned the silence and slow response to the treatment of Ebola cases on the African soil.
“The virus dares us to compromise the impulses that exist at the very core of our humanity. Our impulse to comfort one another with love, our impulse to care for each other with the healing power of touch and to maintain the dignity of our loved ones even in death with a public funeral and a properly marked grave…
“Ebola is a disease of isolation. It leaves family members afraid to embrace one another. It leaves healthcare workers afraid to attend to their patients,”President Mahama cried.
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