World Bank boss urges Ghanaians to remain vigilant

Henry GR Kerali, Country Director of the World Bank for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, urged Ghana to remain alert to a possible Ebola outbreak while ensuring that the necessary measures are put in place. place to fight the disease and others that might occur.

After the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that disrupted Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013 to 2016, all other countries are in a state of alert to predict and avoid any case that could lead to repetition of what happened.

The epidemic, which has been described as the most prevalent epidemic in the history of Ebola, has resulted in many loss of life and socio-economic disruption in the three neighboring countries.

After mobilizing the Trust Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Ebola (ERRTF) in 2014 to fight the epidemic and help the three countries to recover, the World Bank has planned a documentary at their office in Accra on Thursday, June 13, 2019, detailing the results achieved under the program. In addition to Accra, the documentary was also screened in Conakry, Freetown and Monrovia.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the screening of the documentary, Mr. Henry GR Kerali answered a question asked by a reporter about whether Ghana should be worried as a result of recent cases. Ebola registered in some countries have found that the most important thing to prevent the epidemic is to be vigilant.

"It's not necessarily worried, but alert. This is the most important thing. To stay alert, always be prepared to monitor, for example, the movements of people entering and leaving Ghana. Monitor and ensure that people who arrive are in good health and that there are systems in place that will take the temperature in airports or in ports, at entry points at borders, and so on. . And so being prepared, being alert is part of the process of preventing a new Ebola outbreak, "said the World Bank Regional Director.

He added: "The most important thing is to be well organized. Be efficient and alert. Do not be complacent and do not take things for granted. The Ebola outbreak and any other pandemic can occur at any time. It's when you ignore or are carefree that these things tend to spread very quickly and be composed. "

Since August 2018, Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where at least 2,062 people were infected, killing 1,390 people. The last country to register a case is Uganda, which is now trying to prevent the disease from becoming an epidemic.

The World Bank, as part of its REDISSE program (Strengthening Regional Disease Surveillance Systems) and other programs, continues to collaborate with other organizations to reach the "zero patient" in all regions affected.