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Friday, July 11, 2014

Ebola kills 500 in West Africa within 6 months

The Ebola disease has claimed about 500 lives in three West African countries in less than six months, ECOWAS Heads of State and governments were told in Accra yesterday at the commencement of a two-day summit.
Chairman of ECOWAS and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama who disclosed this at the session, did not name the affected countries but said the authority was deeply concerned with the situation.
“I wish to express our deep concern about the unprecedented outbreak of Ebola in three member states of our community. Evidence has shown that in less than six months, the decease has claimed the lives of almost 500 people,” he said.
Mahama urged member states to provide the resources required to fight the disease, saying, “We must scale up efforts to defeat the deadly disease. We must exercise vigilance and avoid any panic on misinformation.”
He also charged medical and research centres in the sub-region to help in developing vaccines and cure for the disease. Leaders at the session also discussed the proposed biometric identity cards for ECOWAS citizens to aide easy identification and movement for trade purposes.
They identified Illegal check points, unnecessary documentation requirements, substantial informal payments at borders and transit fees as huddles hindering free trade. http://dailytrust.com.ng/news/28995-ebola-kills-500-in-west-africa-within-6-months