EbolaIsolation: More countries sever trade, transportation links with Ebola-affected states
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments not to impose sweeping bans on trade and travel on Ebola-affected countries. The organization’s urgent call followed the announcement by Kenya that it was joining a growing list of countries severing all trade and transportation links to the three west African countries most affected by Ebola – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Independently of government actions, many airlines have already stopped flying to and from the three countries. The disease has already killed at least 1,145 people in these three countries and in Nigeria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments not to impose sweeping bans on trade and travel on Ebola-affected countries. The organization’s urgent call followed the announcement by Kenya that it was joining a growing list of countries severing all trade and transportation links to the three west African countries most affected by Ebola – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Independently of government actions, many airlines have already stopped flying to and from the three countries.
The disease has already killed at least 1,145 people in these three countries and in Nigeria.
“The scale of the outbreak is much larger than anything ever seen before,” said Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman. “It is an obvious source of concern and it is not to be underestimated, but we must take measures commensurate with the risk. What you don’t want to do is to take blanket measures to cut off travel and trade.”
The Guardian reports that despite the advice by WHO, Kenya is but the latest country to announce that people travelling from or through Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia will not be allowed to enter the east African country.
Kenya noted, though, that Nigeria was not included in the ban.
Experts from WHO last week said the outbreak had been vastly underestimated and will now require “extraordinary measures, on a massive scale” to prevent its further spread. Médecins sans Frontières agreed, saying the disease was spreading “faster than we can respond to,” – but the charity criticized the WHO for being too slow to react.
Kenya Airways, after initially resisting the government’s order to cease flight s to and from the three west African countries, said it would comply. Other airlines have already suspended flights to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, including British Airways, Emirates Airlines, Arik Air, ASKY Airlines, Cameroon Airline, and Korean Air.
The Youth Olympic Games have opened in China on Saturday, but the International Olympic Committee has barred athletes from Ebola-hit countries from competing in pool events and combat sports. Nigeria has withdrawn its athletes from the Youth Olympics even before the Committee’s decision.
WHO’s Hartl said action commensurate with the risk of Ebola spreading through air travel has already been taken in the three most-affected countries: the screening of passengers.
“We know it’s happening. It makes sense at the departure end and there is nothing to stop screening at the incoming end. These are much better measures. You do not need a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
The Guardian quotes World Bank officials to say that Ebola-affected countries are suffering economically as international airlines restrict flights, companies scale down regional operations, and commercial trade is put on hold. The bank, along with the International Monetary Fund, reduced this year’s economic growth estimate for Guinea to 3.5 percent, down from their original projection of 4.5 percent growth.
The three affected west African states are facing not only growing isolation from the world, but growing confusion and mayhem internally. The latest incident involved armed men in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, who raided a quarantine center for the deadly disease while shouting “there’s no Ebola” in Liberia.” The authorities said that at least twenty patients infected with the deadly virus fled the center.
“They broke down the door and looted the place. The patients have all gone,” Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack, told the Guardian. Her report was confirmed by residents and the head of the Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams.
Williams said the center housed twenty-nine patients who were receiving preliminary treatment before being taken to hospital. It was unclear how many are now at large.
“They had all tested positive for Ebola,” he said, adding that nine had died, without elaborating.
Wesseh said she heard the assailants shouting that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf “is broke”, adding: “She wants money. There’s no Ebola” in Liberia.
