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Oxfam to triple Ebola prevention programs in Sierra Leone, Liberia
International humanitarian agency Oxfam is planning to spend £22 million (US$19
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nternational humanitarian agency Oxfam is planning to spend £22 million (US$19.3 million) to triple its Ebola prevention programs in Sierra Leone and Liberia, focusing more of its work on reducing transmission rates of the infectious disease.
Oxfam's humanitarian director, Jane Cocking, said efforts needed to be undertaken to break the chain of infection by equipping people with the means to protect themselves from contracting the disease in the first place.
'We have the expertise to help contain the disease but funds are desperately needed to make this happen,' she said in a release made available to The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Data shows that Ebola infection rates are continuing to rise, with the number of cases doubling about every 20 days.
The WHO has put the death rate from this outbreak at 70 percent and has warned that there could be 10,000 new cases a week in West Africa by December.
The number of Ebola and suspected Ebola cases now exceeds 8,000, while the outbreak has claimed more than 4,500 lives, almost all of which have been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Tackling Ebola requires new, fully equipped treatment and isolation centers, as well as medical professionals to treat those infected.
A lack of access to basic washing facilities and a lack of knowledge about how Ebola spreads are among the factors blamed for the rapid spread of the disease in the region.
'So far, Oxfam has significantly stepped up its water and sanitation supply to Ebola treatment centers and community care centers, and its supply of hygiene materials, like soap and bleach, in Sierra Leone and Liberia,' Oxfam said.
The aid agency said it was supplying protective clothing for front-line community health workers and burial teams, as well as helping to construct new treatment centers.
Oxfam is continuing to step up its public information campaigning via radio broadcasts, billboards and text messages about how people can best protect themselves from contracting the disease. The agency is also working on preventive measures in Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal, which have so far suffered no widespread outbreak of the disease. (ebf)
