GOAL is urging the international community to come to the aid of Sierra Leone, whose government and health systems are struggling to cope with a rapid rise in cases of the deadly Ebola virus.
Sierra Leone has not faced an Ebola outbreak of this scale before and there is a lack of understanding about the virus and how it is spread, all of which is contributing to an increase in cases.
Although the outbreak began in Guinea, Sierra Leone has now recorded the highest number of Ebola cases with 646, and the second-highest number of fatalities. The outbreak has so far killed close to 1,000 across four African countries.
GOAL is scaling up its emergency response to the crisis in Sierra Leone and will be sending a support team to the country in the coming days.
“The situation is grave right across the region. We are strongly urging the international community to focus its efforts on strengthening state institutions and cross-border coordination, but Sierra Leone requires particular attention to prevent the situation from becoming even more drastic there,” said GOAL’s Darren Hanniffy, who will be leading the GOAL team.
“The government and the ministry of health in Sierra Leone are doing everything they can, but this problem is now beyond them in some locations. Lack of education about Ebola remains the single biggest issue in Sierra Leone. It is clear to everyone responding to the crisis there that we must continue to educate people about the virus.”
“We are still finding that communities are shutting out assistance because of fear and chasing away health outreach staff, while others are trying to remove family members suspected of having Ebola from isolation wards, or attempting to recover bodies of Ebola victims. All this poses a serious contagion risk to others. However, we know that we can stop the spread of Ebola if we can reach communities and improve their understanding of the disease”
Mr Hanniffy was speaking following the announcement by Irish Aid of vital funding to help GOAL raise awareness of the transmission and prevention of the disease in Sierra Leone, and to assist in its containment. GOAL has launched an emergency appeal and is seeking public support for its efforts. To donate to GOAL, visit www.goal.ie.
Darren Hanniffy will be flying to Sierra Leone this weekend. For further comment, please contact him on 00 353 (0)86 648 3483
David Williams GOAL Media & PR Officer
DD: 00 353 (0)1 905 9913 Mob: 00 353 (0)87 419 7140 GOAL switch: 00 353 (0)1 280 9779 Email: dwilliams@goal.ie Skype: david.williams761
GOAL is an international humanitarian organisation
GOAL PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin Ireland www.goal.ie
