The United States Government has earmarked the sum of $14.55
million to support the fight against Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, following it’s
the outbreak in March, 2014.
Vanguard reports that the United States Consul General,
Jeffery Hawkins, made this known on Wednesday, at a conference in his Ikoyi
residence, Lagos.
Hawkins stated that it was imperative to work closely with
the Nigerian health sector and other concerned organizations to ensure that the
public gets proper awareness as part of efforts to curb further spread of the
deadly disease.
“Since the Ebola out-break was first reported, United States
Agency for International Development, USAID, alone, has committed $14.55
million to support the response. The US is also working with the World Health Organization,
WHO, and other international partners to help the government of Nigeria,
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to respond and contain the outbreak of the
Ebola virus in West Africa” Hawkins said.
The U.S consul general promised that Ebola would be
curtailed following the bi-lateral relationship shared between US and the
affected countries.
Hawkins, while speaking on the extent the United States
government has gone in fighting the disease to a stand-still, revealed that
Personnel Protective Equipment, PPE, and other medical supplies, field and
mobile laboratory and diagnostic capacity as well as training and hygiene kits
have been provided to prevent the spread of Ebola.
“Full relevant US government agencies, including the
Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Service, HHS, the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention are increasing every possible form of
assistance to the affected countries, their citizens and international organizations”
Hawkins said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) in its recent
report states that between 14 and 16 August 2014, a total of 113 new cases of
Ebola virus disease (laboratory-confirmed, probable, and suspect cases) as well
as 84 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
It would be recalled that on August 19, 2014, Dr. Ameyo
Stella Adedavoh, the first doctor, who attended to the late Liberian-American
Patrick Sawyer, who brought the deadly virus to Nigeria, reportedly died. So far Nigeria has recorded only four deaths,
following the swift response of the Federal and Lagos State Government in
curtailing the outbreak.
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