THE outbreak of Ebola virus in Africa has been prompting authorities as far away as Asia to take preventive measures, but Bangladesh appears to be unaware of its possible danger, though a large number of our soldiers are in UN Peace Keeping Mission in Ebola affected countries. We are apprehensive of our people including the soldiers who are in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and express our concern over apparent indifference of our Foreign Ministry desk.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a total of 729 deaths by Ebola so far while 1323 were affected between 24 and 27 July. Meantime, international health experts cautioned the global populace against the dreaded Ebola virus. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that the crisis would only get worse and cautioned that there was no overarching strategy to handle the world’s largest outbreak of the disease.
The US authority has cautioned Americans not to fly out to the three African nations hit by Ebola. America issued a tourism warning on Thursday to trivial venture out to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. US Peace Corps announced it was pulling out hundreds of volunteers from the affected zone. The European Union also claims that they are ready to treat victims if the virus spread to any of its 28 member states.
In Asia, Hong Kong has already put into place quarantine measures for any one returning from Africa showing symptoms including fever and vomiting. Though there is no direct flight from West Africa to Hong Kong, it expressed concern that infections could still enter the region via a plane flight.
At South Korea’s Incheon International airport, quarantine inspections of arriving passengers are being enhanced. Authorities say all passengers are being recorded by an infrared camera to detect fevers. Australia is cautioning against travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Singapore and Bangkok have also taken safety measures.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate in human of up to 90 percent. There is no known cure for it. It was first recognized in Congo in 1976. The virus is usually acquired when a person comes into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal such as a monkey or fruit bat. Once infection of a human occurs, it may rapidly spread from one person to another.
The Ebola epidemic trend in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone remains precarious with ongoing community and health facility transmissions of infection where a good number of our soldiers are living under UN Peace Keeping Operation. Bangla has already earned the dignity of second language in Sierra Leone. We therefore, ask the government to wake up for the sake of our people who are at the risk of Ebola and take measures at our international gateways to keep the country free from Ebola.
