* Africa leaders summit to discuss problem
The World Health Organization and leaders of West African nations
affected by the Ebola outbreak are set to announce a joint $100m
(£59m; 75m euro) response plan.
They will meet in Guinea today to launch the initiative aimed at
tackling a virus which has claimed 729 lives.
The disease kills up to 90 percent of those infected, though the
fatality rate in the current epidemic is running at around 60 percent,
according to reports. In the final stages, its symptoms include
external bleeding, massive internal bleeding, vomiting and diarrhea at
which point the virus becomes highly contagious.
Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended Asky airline for
bringing Ebola to Lagos, a teeming mega-city of 21 million people.
Many people had questioned how Patrick Sawyer, a person showing signs
of the disease, whose sister had died of it three weeks previous had
been able to board an international flight. Sawyer died in Lagos.
Health officials are scrambling to avoid the nightmare scenario of an
Ebola outbreak in Lagos, but say there are so far no signs of further
cases. Sierra Leone's president yesterday declared a public health
emergency over the outbreak after 233 people died there, joining
neighbouring Liberia in imposing tough controls as the death toll from
the worst-ever outbreak of the virus hit 729 in West Africa.
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma canceled a visit to
Washington for a U.S.-Africa summit next week. "Sierra Leone is in a
great fight ... Failure is not an option," Koroma said in a speech late
on Wednesday, adding that the state of emergency would initially last
between 60 and 90 days. "Extraordinary challenges require
extraordinary measures."
He said police and the military would enforce a quarantine on all
epicenters of the disease, and would help health officers and NGOs do
their work unhindered, following a number of attacks on health workers
by local communities.
House-to-house searches would be implemented to trace Ebola victims
and homes where the disease was identified would be quarantined until
cleared by medical teams, he said, announcing a ban on all public
meetings except those related to Ebola.
Sierra Leone, a former British colony, said passengers arriving and
departing Lungi International Airport would be subject to new
protocols, including body temperature scans.
The moves echoed a raft of measures unveiled by Liberia on Wednesday,
which included the closure of all schools across the country and a
possible quarantine of affected communities.
Ghana also announced yesterday it was introducing body temperature
screening of all travelers from West African countries at Accra
airport and other major entry points, with isolation centers being set
up in three towns.
Kyei Faried, deputy director in charge of disease control, told a news
conference that authorities had a list of 11 passengers who
disembarked from Sawyer's flight and were monitoring them. The
government is considering whether to ban flights from affected
countries.
The U.S. Peace Corps said it was withdrawing 340 volunteers from
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea after two of them came in contact
with a person who later died of the virus
The World Health Organisation said it was in urgent talks with donors
and international agencies to deploy more medical staff and resources
to the regions. The WHO reported 57 new deaths between July 24 and
July 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
In a measure of rising international concern, Britain on Wednesday
held a government meeting on Ebola and called it a threat requiring a
response. The White House has also said President Barack Obama was
being briefed on the situation.
But international airlines association IATA said the WHO was not
recommending any travel restrictions or border closures due to the
outbreak, and there would be a low risk to other passengers if an
Ebola patient flew.
The spread of the deadly Ebola virus and assistance for affected
countries will be discussed during an African summit in Washington
next week, a senior State Department official said yesterday.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Linda Thomas-Greenfield
said the issue will be discussed in detail during side meetings. The
leaders of Sierra Leone and Liberia, two of the worst affected
countries, have canceled plans to attend the summit. It is unclear
whether the president of Guinea, Alpha Conde, still plans to travel to
Washington.
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