THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2014

News of the Chinese Government’s Supply of drugs and equipment donation to Liberia to combat the Ebola disease, the United States approval of the sample doses of experimental Serum to be used on two Liberian doctors with the Ebola disease, President Johnson Sirleaf’s suspension of travel by Government officials and the Japanese Government’s nine truck donation to the Liberia Electricity Corporation are among stories dominating the local dailies selected for today, Tuesday, August 12, 2014, news summary.

DOMINANT STORIES

Chinese Gov’t Donates Drugs, Equipment To Fight Ebola

Receiving the assorted materials among others on behalf of the Government of Liberia, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sylvester Grigsby expressed thanks and appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China, describing it as timely in the fight against the deadly Ebola. Mr. Grigsby said the assorted materials donated will help the government contain the epidemic in Liberia and ensure that more lives are saved in the process. “This will enhance the government’s efforts in supporting the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia. We are very happy as it will help us reach the various counties and fight the virus”, Daily Observer reports.

Related Captions: China Donates Us$1m Worth Of Gears, Medicines To Fight Ebola(FrontPageAfrica), Drugs to Fight Ebola Arrive(The New Dawn)

Pres. Obama Approves Ebola Medicine For Liberians

The White House and the United States Food and Drug Administration have approved the request for sample doses of experimental Serum to treat Liberian doctors who are currently infected with the deadly Ebola virus disease. The Doctors are Dr. Abraham Borbor and Philip Ireland. The pair are currently being held at ELWA isolation center. According to an Executive Mansion release, the approval was in response to an August 8, 2014 communication sent to President Barrack Obama by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in which she requested the experimental Serum to be used on the affected Liberian doctors. The experimental drugs are to be brought in the country by a representative of the U.S. Government later this week. Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, has authorized the dispatch of additional doses of the experimental Serum to Liberia to support the treatment of affected doctors. The experimental Serum from the WHO will be brought in by one of its experts later this week, INSIGHT reports.

Related Captions: Obama Authorizes ‘Experimental Drug’ To Be Used On Docs Borbor & Ireland-As Ellen Bans Travel of Officials Outside Liberia for 1 Month,(Daily Observer), Obama Approves Use of Experimental Drug—On Two Liberian Doctors(The News), To Treat Liberian Doctors With Ebola: Obama Approves Use of Experimental Drug(Heritage),Two Liberian Doctors to Get Ebola Drugs(FrontPage Africa)

Pres. Sirleaf Bans Travel Of Govt. Officials For One Month

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has suspended all travel by government officials who are part of the Executive Branch of Government with immediate effect. According to an Executive Mansion release these include government officials of all Ministries, Agencies, Public Corporations, Commissions, and Parastatals that are under the Executive Branch for a period of one month. The Liberian leader has also instructed all government officials currently out of the country, whether on government or private visit, to return home within a week or be considered as abandoning their jobs. She is urging all government officials of the Executive Branch to take due note of this directive, INSIGHT reports.

Related Caption: Ellen Bans All Officials Travels(The New Dawn), Liberian Officials Restricted From Traveling in wake of Ebola(FrontPage Africa)

Japan Donates Nine Utility Trucks To LEC

Nine utility and maintenance trucks valued at over half a million United States Dollars have been turned over to the management of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) by the Government of Japan to enhance its work. The donation is part of the Japanese Government’s grant aid package to Liberia to fund the construction of a 10 mega-watts Heavy Fuel construction at the Bushrod Island power plant in Monrovia. Making the donation, the Project Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation in charge of the mechanical works at the Japan-funded 10 Mega-watts HFO plant, Tokeo Yanagawa said he was happy to donate the trucks on behalf of his organization. Accepting the keys to the trucks, the Executive Director for Administration and Human resources at the LEC, Mr.. Vamunyah Sheriff expressed delight over the donation, Daily Observer reports.

Related Caption:LEC Receives 9 Trucks(The New Dawn)

S/East To Be Quarantined Soon

Members of the Liberian Senate, along with Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Liberia have called for the South Eastern parts of the country to be immediately quarantined so as to avoid any outbreak of the Ebola virus there. Since the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Liberia in March, the Southeastern counties which include Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Grand Kru, River Gee and Maryland Counties are yet to be hit by the virus. The Liberian Senate on Monday convened a special hearing and invited the Minister of Defense, Health and the Director of the Liberian National Police to bring the Upper House to speed up plans and strategies within the envelope of the State of Emergency declared by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Providing an update on the spread of the virus, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Tolbert Nyenswah, disclosed that so far, there are 50 survivors in the country since the outbreak of the disease, with 20 persons from Montserrado and 30 from Lofa – the epicenter of the disease in Liberia,   INSIGHT writes.

Related Captions: Samukai Warns Southeasterners to Stay Home( New Democrat)

Ellen Promises to Settle All Outstanding Incentives For Health Workers Beginning This Week

The Heritage newspaper quotes an Executive Mansion release as saying that the Government of Liberia has renewed its commitment to the protection of healthcare workers in the wake of the Ebola virus outbreak that has claimed the lives of over 250 persons in Liberia. the release said that at a mass meeting with health workers at the weekend at the Monrovia City Hall, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Government was aware of the task confronting health workers in the fight against the Ebola virus disease and offered sincere apologies to them for the manner in which it confronted the outbreak at the early stages and promised more robust actions in eradicating the virus. For the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), who also attended the meeting, the reopening of all healthcare facilities was the best thing to do; but warned that decontamination should take place before those hospital affected are opened.

Related Captions: Pres. Sirleaf Meets Healthcare Workers(FOCUS), Ellen Promises Health Workers(In Profile Daily), Ellen Promises Health Workers(In Profile Daily), Health Workers Are Demanding Incentives-As Pres. Sirleaf Regrets Death of Ebola Fight(The Analyst)

‘No Evidence Of Well Poisoning’ - LNP Warns Rumor Mongers

The Liberia National Police says it has found no evidence of well poisoning as has been rumored around Monrovia and its environs. Speaking during a news conference in Monrovia on Monday, Police director Col. Chris Massaquoi, said the reports of well poisoning, which had been circulating in Monrovia has created panic among peaceful citizens. “From the test results and statistics that were conducted by all the above mentioned testing centers, there was no evidence to substantiate the widespread speculation that water sources, such as rivers and wells, were ever poisoned,” he said, FrontPageAfrica reports.

Related Captions: No Evidence of Wells Contamination…Says Police Director(The News), Police: No Evidence For Water Sources Being Poised(Heritage), Are Wells Really Being Poisoned?—Police Revealed Investigation Discrepancies(The Analyst)

‘Queen Sheba Do Not Exist’ – Pres. Sirleaf

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has dispelled rumors about her relationship with a woman many people believe is demonic and is behind the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the country. According to the Liberian leader, she does not know anyone with the name ‘Queen Sheba’ and has not interacted with such individual on any occasion “Who is Queen Sheba? How does she look? I don’t know anyone called Queen Sheba and I have not interacted with any individual of such nature,” she said, FOCUS reports.

Related Caption: Queen Sheba Did Not Come to Liberia-President Sirleaf Clarifies(West Africa INFO POST)

OTHER STORIES

Ellen Congratulates Korea and Chad

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf over the weekend sent a Message of congratulations to the Government and People of the Republic of Korea, on the auspicious occasion celebrating the 69^th Independence Anniversary of that country on August 15, 2014. In her message to Her Excellency Park Geun-Hye, President of the Republic of Korea, President Johnson Sirleaf on behalf of Liberia conveyed her sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Government and People of Korea as that nation observes its historic event. At the same time, the Liberian leader has also sent a message of congratulations to the Government and People of the Republic of Chad on this auspicious occasion commemorating the 54^thIndependence Anniversary of that Country on August 11, 2014. In her Message to H.E. Mr. Idriss Déby, President of the Republic of Chad, Madam Johnson Sirleaf on behalf of the Government and People of Liberia extended warmest congratulations to the Government and people of Chad as the country celebrates this historic event, Heritagewrites.

EU Boosts AID To Contain Ebola

The European Union is increasing its efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa by an additional eight million. This is the fourth EU assistance for this crisis. It brings the Commission’s aid in 2014 to fight the Ebola epidemic which the World Health Organization (WHO) has just declared an “International Concern”, to 11.9 million. In addition, a second “European mobile laboratory” will be deployed in the coming days, most likely to sierra Leone, to provide essential support to diagnostic and testing.” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the largest recorded outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical coverage, FrontPageAfrica reports

VP Urges Diaspora Liberians To Help Educate Relatives About Ebola

Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai is appealing to Liberians in the United States and elsewhere in the diaspora to assist the government in educating Liberians about the dangers of Ebola by calling relatives and family members and asking them to cooperate with service providers. Boakai told VOA that in the initial stages of the outbreak the government had a difficult time getting citizens to realize the seriousness of the disease, FOCUS reports.

Lofa Quarantined For Ebola

The Liberian army has put a third province under quarantine to check the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Monday. “Lofa County in the north has been quarantined by the army,” Sirleaf said after similar measures were taken in the provinces of Bomi and Grand Cape Mount”, FOCUS reports.

Senator Wants Video, Night Clubs Closed

Sinoe County Senator Mobutu Viah Nyenpan has called for the closure of night and video clubs to enhance efforts aimed at containing the Ebola virus. Senator Nyenpan said the continuous operation of these entertainment centers is counter-productive to the fight against the Ebola disease in Liberia, according to the Liberia News Agency, In profile Daily reports.