The Vice President, Alhaji Chief Sam Sumana has described as ‘unacceptable’ news of the escalation of the Ebola epidemic in the country. Speaking to journalists at his Tower Hill office yesterday, the Vice President referred to the death of Sierra Leoneans in the hands of the menace as disturbing and called on all to put hands on deck to bring the sad chapter of the nation’s history to an immediate close. The Vice President who is also Chairman of the National Platform for Disaster Management called on all Sierra Leoneans to unite against the deadly disease which he said has disrupted farming and economic activities in affected rural areas of the country Asked why it is only now that he was speaking out on the outbreak, the Vice President said the menace has reached such a devastating stage that people must now speak out publicly if only to save lives. He said although he has hitherto remained quiet, he nonetheless has been involved with initial strategy aimed at containing the virus. “As Chairman of the National Platform for Disaster Management, I immediately convened a meeting with stakeholders when the disease broke out in Kailahun”, he said, adding that the meeting with stakeholders was aimed at responding adequately to the epidemic. Chief Sam Sumana said he was in constant touch with the Kailahun District Council Chairman, Rex Bonapha, MPs from the affected region, the ONS and other stakeholders with whom he held two meetings to design a strategy for effective containment of the disease. “Despite those initial efforts, the responsibility of the National Platform for Disaster Management was removed from my office to the Office of the President for reasons I don’t know”, VP Sumana said. The Vice President said however that the Ebola threat has heightened national health security concerns, especially as the lives of health workers were being lost to the deadly virus. While expressing his sincere condolences to the bereaved families of those who have died of the menace, the Vice President thanked donor partners for their support and pleaded with them to do more to stop the spread.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 07:34:54 +0000
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