H5N1 Blog -- Ebola: Chasing a rolling snowball (Sep 20, 2014) crofsblogs.typepad/h5n1/2014/09/ebola-chasing-a-rolling-snowball.html Reader posting by Jonathon Singleton (Sep 20, 2014): The key word used in this well written article is prevarication. And really, theres no time to waste. Wealthy governments offering assistance, such as Australias, are not on the same epidemiological page as experts: Some virologists fret that it might even acquire the ability to be transmitted through the air by coughs and sneezes. Although this seems unlikely, nobody wants to find out just how quickly Ebola can adapt to humans... The longer the world prevaricates, the harder and costlier it will be to contain this outbreak. -- The Economist Newspaper Limited Ali Readhead, a former aid worker to Sierra Leone has been calling on the Australian government to send an Australian medical military unit to the country to fight the epidemic. This West Australian lawyer, who spent three and half years working as an advisor to the country’s health ministry, recently launched a Change.org petition calling on the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to send in a military team to set up a field hospital in Sierra Leone. Working on the frontline, Ms Redhead has acted because she understands the dire urgency which prompted the Australian arm of MSF to last week reject Foreign Minister Bishops reasoning for why the national security committee of cabinet decided against sending Australian troops and doctors to West Africa to help control Ebola... The Federal Government has been embarrassed over its $7 million response to the Ebola virus with an international medical group rejecting the money and demanding Australian doctors be sent to Africa instead. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) executive director Paul McPhun has told News Corp he won’t accept the $2.5 million Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced would go to his group. “We have made clear we are not in a position to take the money,” he said. “We have been very clear with the government for two weeks now we are not asking for financial support, we are asking the government to evaluate Australia’s emergency medical capacity and mobilise it on the ground in West Africa.” -- News Dot Com Medecins Sans Frontieres slams Australia’s Ebola response (Sep 17, 2014) Its frankly disturbing how out of touch the Abbott government is with Australias medical experts and professionals. Ten days ago Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, A/Prof Brian Owler, demanded a more significant response from the Australian Government... “A priority would be to get skilled medical and health professionals – with medical equipment and medicines - on the ground as soon as possible. “If the Government can get military arms airlifted to northern Iraq at short notice, surely we can airlift medical arms and legs to West Africa just as quickly to save lives. “The Ebola emergency is on the verge of becoming a major international public health crisis. “Australia and other developed nations must show leadership and act immediately to provide greater support to WHO and the people of West Africa affected by this human tragedy,” A/Prof Owler said. -- AMA media statement, -- AMA calls for escalated Australian response to evolving Ebola humanitarian crisis https://ama.au/media/ama-calls-escalated-australian-response-evolving-ebola-humanitarian-crisis Im positive informed, regular readers here at Crawfords blog feel time is being frittered and completely agree with the AMA an immediate pragmatic response (not money, per se) is what is required. Political prevarication from governments like Australias is unhelpful.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 02:00:49 +0000