Senate Health Committee Chair Foresees Increase in Ebola Cases Senator Peter Coleman (CDC-Grand Kru County), chairman of the senate committee on health has suggested that there could be an increase in new Ebola cases in the coming weeks because of communities response to the fight against the virus. According to Senator Coleman, who once served as Health Minister under the regime of former President Charles Taylor because community members are beginning to report suspected cases of Ebola the Ministry of Health could experience a sharp increase in the number of cases. Senator Coleman said: The situation is as such that cases will continue to rise. Right now Liberia among the three countries has about one thousand two hundred deaths, but I like to state here that a sizeable portion of those deaths could be non-Ebola related and our ability to distinguish between the Ebola and non-Ebola related will increase as our testing centers increase. Within the next two-three weeks we could see an increase in the number of cases because what we have observed is that the communities are beginning to respond. People are no longer hiding patients in their homes and they have set up communities response teams so that is why there is overcrowding at the ELWA isolation center. He told his colleagues during the senate Thursdays session that the epic center for the Ebola outbreak has shifted to Monrovia though cases are being reported from other counties such as Bomi, Lofa, Margibi and Bong but Montserrado still accounts for the highest number of reported cases on a daily basis. U.S. additional 75M support Senator Coleman told his colleagues that the United States government has promised additional US$ 75 Million dollars support to the Liberia Ebola crisis to be used to construct six additional Ebola treatment centers and Health centers in Liberia. The Centers according to him will be established in Nimba, River-Cess, Margibi and some counties in the southeast as well as Montserrado County. Besides the US Navy is going to bring in two mobile testing centers one will be placed between Nimba, Margibi and Bong while the other will be assigned in the southeast of Liberia. A lot more resources have been coming from our international partners, he said. Responding to calls by some of his colleagues and members of the public for the fight against Ebola to be outsourced, he said; As I speak to you over the last three weeks most of these services have been taken over by our international partners. The Grand Kru lawmaker also told his colleagues that over the past three months the government has provided funding to all counties health teams from the five million funding allotted by the legislature, and that the response aspect of the fight has being put in the care of the Health sector contrary to complain that the Taskforce is made up of politicians. House forwards recommendation In related Legislative Ebola news, the House of Representatives Health committee has forwarded several recommendations to the plenary of that august body for onward submission to the Ebola task force. The House Health Committee, among several things recommended that a mobile testing center be established, the issue of food for Ebola patients be adequately looked at and that the Task force organizes a community integrated program for survivors of Ebola to help fight stigma. The report submitted by Representative Corpu Barclay of Bong county, chair on the Health committee was met with mixed feelings by some senators who felt there is a need for the appearance of those heading the task force before the plenary of the house to clearly state what has being their achievements and challenges in the Ebola fight.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 17:26:02 +0000
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