Ebola: African Ministers, Others Converge in Accra To Check Further Outbreak

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Trending Stories Friday, July 4th, 2014

African Ministers, health experts and other stakeholders are currently meeting in Ghana on how to check the biggest ever outbreak of the Ebola virus from extending further.

African Examiner gathered from CNN that the World Health Organization (WHO) has earlier warned that “drastic action” was needed to halt the killer in its tracks.

So far, 759 cases, including 467 deaths, in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia as at last month have been recorded, of the deadly virus which broke out in March. This makes it the “largest in terms of the number of cases and deaths as well as geographical spread,” said WHO.

The scientist, Dr. Peter Piot who first discovered the Ebola virus in the 1970s, once told CNN’s Correspondent that the situation was “unprecedented.”

“One, this is the first time in West Africa that we have such an outbreak, secondly, it is the first time that three countries are involved…” Piot said.

The looming threat has brought together the health ministers of 11 African nations — the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda — as well as health experts, Ebola survivors and WHO representatives.

Also at the two-day summit in Accra, the Ghana’s capital, are the representatives of airlines and mining companies, as well as donor nations helping to fund efforts to combat the virus.

Fresh cases of the virus were reported between June 25 and 30 – 22 while new cases were experienced in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Of these, 14 death has been reported, WHO revealed.