THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

News of the National Lottery five hundred thousand Liberian Dollars donation to two disabled institutions to assist in the fight against the Ebola virus, the survival of a Liberian Doctor from the Ebola virus are among dominant stories highlighted in our summary of today’s local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES 

National Lottery Provides L$500,000… For Ebola Awareness Program

Liberia National Lottery (LNLC) has donated L$500,000 to two disabled institutions in Liberia for Ebola awareness purposes. The two institutions include, Group of 77 on Newport Street and the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) in Congo Town. Speaking at the presentation of separate checks to the two institutions, LNLC Chief Executive Officer, Martin S. Kollie said the initiative is to ensure the involvement of the disabled community in creating awareness on the danger of the Ebola virus. Mr. Kollie urged the two institutions to use the money for logistics and food during the period of the sensitization campaign. The LNLC CEO urged the two institutions to also use the money to benefit its members who are always seen in streets corners begging, the News writes.

Related Caption: National Lottery Gives LD$500, 000 To Two Disable Institutions(FrontPage Africa), National Lotteries Gives L$500,000 to Disabled Community(Heritage)

Int’ Charity Donates To Rural Communities

According to the News newspaper, an international charity group, International Children Fund (ICF), over the weekend donated food and assorted non-food items to citizens in eight communities in rural Montserrado and Bomi Counties. Communities that benefited from the donation include Kpekor Town, Philip Town, Johnny Town, Vincent Town, Bendai Town, Komma Town, Dorlelay Town, and Sawegbeh Town. The donations were made in partnership with the Great Commission Victory Ministries International Inc. (GCVMI). The items include used clothes, shoes, buckets with faucets, chloral and rice. The Chief Executive Officer of ICF, Rufus Gyanfi said the donation is his organization’s way of contributing to the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

Related Captions: Charity Group Identifies With Liberians(Heritage), Charity Group Identifies With Liberians(INSIGHT)

Container Operations At NPA Remain In Place – Management

The Management of the National Port Authority (NPA) says one Maersk Line container vessel, MV Julius 1413, originally scheduled to arrive at the Freeport of Monrovia on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, did leave Liberian international waters to discharge containers in the Ivory Coast first, after a temporary hold was placed by the Port of Abidjan Authority on vessels coming from Ebola countries from August 12-14 to allow their ports to implement prevention plans. In a statement issued on Monday, the NPA indicates that the MV Julius is scheduled to return to Liberia August 25, 2014. In the interim, two additional Maersk Line container vessels will visit the Port of Monrovia on August 18, 2014 and August 22, 2014, as originally scheduled, In Profile Daily reports.

Related Captions: NPA Remains Operational(The New Republic), NPA: Container Operations in All Ports Remain Fully Operational(Heritage). In another development, the Daily Observer writes under the caption“NPA Takes Stringent Ebola Measures – Announces Temporary Closure of ‘One Stop Shop’ At Freeport”, that the National Port Authority (NPA) has temporarily shut down the government of Liberia’s one stop shop center at the Freeport of Monrovia for spraying and disinfection. The port authority’s Managing Director, Madam Matida Wokie Parker, announced the closure of the center on Monday, August 18 saying the decision is part of several precautionary measures put in place by NPA to combat the Ebola epidemic.

Liberian Doctor Survives Ebola

Dr. Philip Z. Ireland on Friday, August 15, “triumphantly walked” from behind the fences of the Ebola isolation unit within the hospital compound of the Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA). As he turned the corner, he raised both hands to the delight of his family members and colleagues from the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, who had gathered at ELWA-2 isolation unit to welcome him back after crossing the deadly Ebola virus line. Dr. Ireland was one of two Liberian Medical Doctors, for whom the “experimental drug/Serum” (Zmapp) was brought in from the US to be tried on. According to Dr. Billy C. Johnson, Chief Medical officer, JFK, who was on hand to receive Dr. Ireland, he told our Health Correspondent that Dr. Ireland did not use any of the serum or drug as his condition has improved much better before the drug arrived in the country last week for him and Dr. Abraham Borbor, Liberia’s only in-country Internist, INSIGHT reports.

Related Caption: Dr. Ireland ‘Triumphantly’ Crosses Ebola Line(Daily Observer)

OTHER STORIES

WHO warns Liberia - Gov’t Vows To Screen West Point

The World Health Organization or WHO has warned Liberia that opening Ebola treatment units is not enough in combating the deadly disease that is ravaging the country. The WHO urged the government to execute more sensitization. A day after roughly 20 Ebola suspects fled a holding unit massively looted by rampaging youth in the Township of West Point in Central Monrovia; the WHO Country Representative to Liberia, Dr. Nestor Ndayirimije warned that Ebola will continue as long as citizens were not adhering to preventive messages. At a news conference on Sunday, August 17, Dr. Nestor called on Representatives and Senators, community and religious leaders all over the country and the civil society to sensitize the citizenry that Ebola is preventable. Notwithstanding, Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services Tolbert Nyensuah said proper screening will be conducted in the slum community of West Point to identify patients held at the vandalized Ebola holding unit. He told reporters on Sunday, August 17 that closed to 90 percent of those who fled the holding unit lived in West Point, and that they had moved back to their houses when rampaging youth looted the unit on Saturday, August 16, New Dawn reports.  

Jeety Lectures Indian Community On Deadly Ebola 

The Honorary Consul General of the Indian Consulate in Liberia, Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva, has lectured his fellow kinsmen and women about the presence of deadly Ebola virus disease in the country. Mr. Sachdeva, commonly known as Jeety, told his fellow Indian citizens that the disease was real and that people were dying of the disease in Liberia. He urged them to always adhere to the preventive tips as provided by the Liberian Government, through its Ministry of health and Social Welfare, Daily Observer reports

Another Experimental Drugs Arrive For Ebola

As the deadly Ebola virus continues to cause havoc in the country, a group under the banner of Concerned Citizens of Liberia has brought into the country new experimental drugs for the treatment of the disease. While displaying the drugs to the public on Friday, August 15, 2014, a member of the group, Mr. Nathaniel Blama, said the drugs, nutrient called “Nano Silver” could be the solution for curing the disease. According to him, research conducted has shown that the drugs have the power to cure lots of illnesses and diseases, including the ability to deactivate the Ebola virus. It is nontoxic, self-sterilizing and inexpensive, it does not require refrigeration. This nutrient is being manufactured in the United States of America and has been in circulation since it was first discovered in 1994 by the Department of Defense in the USA,” said Mr. Blama, Heritage reports.

AMSSO Dedicates 80,000 Members To Fight Ebola

The interim leadership of the Association of the Masses in Support of a Stable Society (AMSSO) has availed its 80,000 strong members across the country to the National Ebola Task Force to assist in the dissemination and distribution of Ebola prevention messages and materials. The New Dawn quotes a press release from the group as saying that the interim leadership, which was constituted over the weekend, noted that with the cumulative deaths across the country, coupled with threats being posed by the deadly disease, AMSSO is obliged to join national efforts to quell the rapid spread of the pandemic.

ICT Sector Donates To Ebola Task Force

The Liberia telecommunication sector, which comprised of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority or LTA, LIBTELCO and the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications, has donated several items to the National Ebola Task Force. The Liberia Telecommunication Authority donated a 2012 model Nissan Patrol Jeep to the task force to enable it to respond to emergency cases. The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Dr. Frederick B. Norkeh, said the ICT sector heard the cry of the Liberian people and decided to lend a helping hand to the task force to fight the deadly Ebola virus. The sector through the Managing Director and Board of Directors of LIBTELCO, the chairlady and commissioners of the LTA and the staff and management of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications donated the jeep, 200 body bags, 200 boots, 600 protective gloves, 500 protective goggles, 530 disposable protective suits and 500 protective face masks, the New Dawn writes.

Gov’t Releases New Transportation Fares

The Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Ministries of Transport and Commerce and Industry have officially approved and released new transportation fares for commuters within Montserrado County. The new transportation fares were approved on Thursday, August 14, 2014 and officially released to the public on Friday, August 15, 2014. The approval and release of the fares come at the time when many commercial drivers are said to be exploiting commuters on a daily basis with their own fares. Speaking to the media over the weekend about the fare and other key issues of national concern, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Axel M. Addy, noted that the publication of the fares is aimed at solving many of the problems between drivers and passengers on a daily basis. According to him, authorities of the Ministry of Commerce will also hold discussion with gas station owners to see whatever way the price of gas could also be reduced on the market, Heritage reports.

Bomi Opens First Ebola Center

The Newsnewspaper reports that the lead Doctor at the Government Hospital in Tubmanburg said the center would be used to isolate individuals suspected of carrying the Ebola virus. Dr. Gabriel Logan told The NEWS that the center is equipped with 12 beds and a self-contained latrine facility for Ebola patients. He said the center is intended to prepare patients before transferring them to Monrovia for further treatment. Dr. Logan also disclosed that the hospital which has been closed as a result of the huge number of Ebola cases was reopened Monday, August 18, 2014. He said since the first Ebola case was reported on June 20, 2014 at Sime Darby Plantation, there have been 41 suspected cases reported in Bomi County. Dr. Logan disclosed that 21 of the 41 Ebola suspects who were confirmed to have the killer virus have died.