A U.A.E. paper has said that the World Health Organisation, WHO, has pressed the alarm bells on Ebola declaring that the infection rate could reach 10,000 a week in a worst-case scenario. On expected lines, the rapid spread of the disease has rattled the international community.
"The U.A.E. has once again risen to the occasion and joined the global fight against the dreaded disease, though the country itself is free of Ebola," said The Gulf TOday in its editorial on Thursday.
The U.A.E. Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, MICAD, and United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, are partnering to implement a $5 million project to fight Ebola in the three West African nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
This latest contribution comes as part of the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and was ordered by His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces.
"The disease has had a devastating effect on the daily lives of communities and far-reaching implications on the health and wellbeing of children," added the Sharjah-based daily.
Children face not only the direct risks of exposure to the virus, but also the risks associated with the loss of their parents and family members and the limited access to basic services such health care, education and protection.
WHO, which is leading the wider UN response, has so far reported 8,376 cases and 4,024 deaths from Ebola based on information provided by the Ministries of Health of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
As per WHO’s recommendations, within 60 days of Oct.1, 70 per cent of all those infected must be in the hospital and 70 per cent of the victims safely buried, if the outbreak were to be successfully arrested. Otherwise, the Ebola numbers risked rising dramatically and overwhelming the overall response.
The paper concluded by quoting Ibrahim El Ziq, UNICEF Gulf Area Representative, as saying, "The U.A.E. has been championing the cause of health and emergency response for many years and has been able to achieve remarkable results in several causes, such as polio eradication."