EBOLA STIGMA HINDERING MEDICAL RESPINSE

Ebola stigma hindering medical response,
says Red Cross
2 December 2014 Africa
Red Cross societies - including the German one
seen here in Liberia - have been setting up
treatment centres
Stigma against travellers from Ebola-infected
countries is hindering the fight against the disease,
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) says.
The head of the IFRC, Mr Elhadj As Sy, warned that
travel bans were preventing his organisation's
medical workers from dealing with the outbreak.
He urged governments to avoid acting out of fear
and misinformation.
Ebola has killed nearly 7,000 people this year -
mostly in West Africa.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
more than 16,000 people have been infected by the
virus.
Between 200 and 300 people are dying every week.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are by far the
worst hit countries.
Later on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama is
expected ask Congress to approve $6.18bn
(£3.95bn; €4.98bn) in emergency funds to fight the
Ebola outbreak.
Much of the money is aimed at dealing with the
immediate response to the outbreak.
However, it also includes $1.5bn in contingency
funds to prepare US hospitals for possible cases,
Reuter news agency reports.
Local and international health care workers are
leading the fight against Ebola
In an IFRC statement released on Tuesday, Mr Sy
acknowledged that governments were "legitimately
putting measures in place to protect their citizens"
against Ebola.
However, he criticised some of the more "drastic
measures" taken to control the spread of the virus.
These included the "unnecessary" quarantining of
health workers, preventing international staff from
returning to their countries of origin, and forcing
them to spend a 21-day "rest and observation
period" in a third country.
Praise for Spain
The statement also criticised blanket restrictions
placed on people with West African passports.
"Closing borders and limiting entry to people
travelling from West Africa are not effective ways
to contain the outbreak," Mr Sy said.
"Actions such as these only contribute to the
stigmatisation faced by the very brave people who
are volunteering to respond to this outbreak."
He said travel restrictions were preventing many
medical workers from applying for positions in
Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone, hindering his
organisation's response.
The IFRC is one of several international
organisations that are working to combat the
epidemic.
Separately, the WHO has praised Spain for having
ended the Ebola outbreak on its soil.
In early October, a health worker involved in
treating an Ebola-infected patient became the first
person to contract the disease in Spain.
The worker was successfully treated for Ebola,
while dozens of others were monitored for
symptoms.
The WHO officially declared Spain free of Ebola on
Tuesday after 42 days passed with no new cases