medics

Efforts to contain the spread of Ebola through poorly implemented mass quarantine of communities in Sierra Leone are causing unnecessary hardship and are at risk of further spreading the deadly disease warned international agency Oxfam today. 

A clear and public plan of action from the UN and governments is needed to respond to the changing nature of the outbreak. This will enable the humanitarian community to effectively marshall its resources to overcome Ebola

Hundreds of local volunteers are helping Oxfam to provide support and information to more than 400,000 people living in Ebola-affected communities in West Africa to stop the spread of the disease.

Today (Friday 31st October) marks the half way point in the UN’s Ebola response plan for West Africa which aims to bring the outbreak under control by the end of November. Since October 1st, we have seen some positive and encouraging steps. For example, pledges have reached almost $1 billion and several nations have offered military and other support.

At today’s EU summit, European leaders collectively pledged to raise their financial contribution to help respond to the Ebola crisis, bringing Europe’s total commitment to €1 billion.