Guinea

Mobile Technology Key to Containing Ebola in West Africa

Thu, 2014-10-09 14:08 — mike kraft

VOICE OF AMERICA

BY Kim Lewis October 09, 2014

Description of the use of contract tracing and a mobile data collection and messaging software tool that expedites vital information to people in Africa and other regions of the world, in crisis situations.

Workers inside a call center, where people can phone to state their concerns about the Ebola virus, in the city of Monrovia, Liberia, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014

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http://www.voanews.com/content/ebola-mobile-technology-contacts-tracing-magpi/2477835.html

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European Leaders Scramble to Upgrade Response to Ebola Crisis

Thu, 2014-10-09 13:30 — mike kraft

NEW YORK TIMES

By ANDREW HIGGINS OCT. 9, 2014

BRUSSELS — When the Ebolavirus was first identified in March as the cause of a series of mysterious deaths in the remote forests of Guinea, Europe moved quickly to battle a disease that has now infected more than 7,000 Africans and already killed around half of those. It mobilized more money and health workers than the United States, China or anyone else for West Africa.

But, proud of its long record as the world’s biggest donor of humanitarian aid, Europe has since suffered a blow to its self-image of can-do generosity. Its own efforts to contain the lethal virus have been overshadowed by President Obama’s announcement last month that he was sending 3,000 troops to West Africa to build hospitals and otherwise help in the fight against Ebola.

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Fear of Ebola could have “catastrophic” economic costs, World Bank predicts

Thu, 2014-10-09 02:04 — mike kraft

Washington POst Oct. 8, 2014
By Max Ehrenfreund

A report issued Wednesday by the World Bank forecasts that the total economic impact of Ebola could exceed $32 billion by the end of 2015 if the virus spreads from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to neighboring countries.

That single dollar amount doesn't fully convey the extraordinary human toll of a virus that kills four in five of its victims and could infect as many 1.4 million people by January. Yet the World Bank's estimate is a reminder that sickness and death are only part of what could be a developing regional crisis....

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West Africa: Companies Fill Gaps in Ebola Response

Thu, 2014-10-09 01:03 — mike kraft

All Africa Oct. 7, 2014

New York dateline article by Tami Hultman contains a description of what some companies are doing to help counter the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

ArceloMittal employee in Liberia

Photo: Tami Hultman/AllAfrica

The story described contacts with various companies and said:

"The prompt corporate response is the result of a months-long preparatory process to coordinate actions that began with aggressive programs information and education programs. Since March, when the Ebola threat re-emerged in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, after a relatively small rural outbreak earlier in the year, companies with operations in the area had been preparing for an emerging crisis."

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Ebola outbreak: UK sending 750 troops to Sierra Leone

Wed, 2014-10-08 23:14 — mike kraft

UK and Israel send additional assistance. Two stories

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and U.S. Secretary of State Kerry urged all nations to boost their response to combat the Ebola virus

BRITAIN SENDS 750 MILITARY PERSONNEL AND MEDICAL SHIP

BBC Oct. 8, 2014

The UK is sending 750 military personnel to Sierra Leone to help deal with the deadly Ebola outbreak, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed.

The UK will also send medical ship the RFA Argus and three helicopters. The personnel will be deployed next week.

It comes as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was "now entirely possible that someone with Ebola will come to the UK either by one route or another".

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29542129

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The Fight Against Ebola Is a Fight Against Inequality

Tue, 2014-10-07 17:14 — mike kraft

Commentary by Jim Young Kim, President of the World Bank Group
Oct. 6, 2014

As the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa shows, the importance of reducing inequality could not be more clear. The battle against the virus is a fight on many fronts -- human lives and health foremost among them.

But the fight against Ebola is also a fight against inequality. The knowledge and infrastructure to treat the sick and contain the virus exists in high- and middle-income counties. However, over many years, we have failed to make these things accessible to low-income people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. So now thousands of people in these countries are dying because, in the lottery of birth, they were born in the wrong place.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-yong-kim/the-fight-against-ebola-i_b_5938716.html