French President Francois Hollande is visiting Guinea on Friday in
a direct show of support for the West African nation
as it battles the deadly Ebola virus.
Hollande
has been accompanied on the one-day trip by a delegation including the French
health minister and the head of the Red Cross in France.
While in
Guinea, Hollande will meet with the country's leaders, visit medical facilities
and hold a round-table discussion with people directly involved in fighting the
disease. He will also pay tribute to the contribution of French medical workers
in Guinea.
This
week, the World Health Organization said the spread of the virus appeared to
have stabilized in Guinea, an encouraging development. Continue..
In a briefing to journalists
ahead of the trip, the presidential office said Hollande wanted to take stock
of the efforts being made to combat Ebola, not just in Guinea but around the
world.
By going
there, he hopes to show solidarity with Guinea and its neighbors and send the
world a message about not stigmatizing countries affected by Ebola.
In
October, Hollande announced a comprehensive plan to fight the disease in France
and West Africa, including 100 million euros for treatment and prevention
efforts.
France
has already built one treatment center in Guinea and is in the process of
building two more. Two training centers for caregivers are also being built in
the Conakry area.
As of Sunday, there had been
1,260 deaths in Guinea out of 2,134 confirmed, probable or suspected cases of
Ebola, the WHO said in an update Wednesday.
In total,
5,689 people have died from the Ebola virus, and there have been 15,935 cases
in eight countries since the outbreak began.
Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone remain by far the worst-affected countries. They
reported 600 new cases in the week ending Sunday, with 385 of those in Sierra
Leone.
"Case
incidence is stable in Guinea, stable or declining in Liberia, but may still be
increasing in Sierra Leone," the WHO said.
The WHO
update also warned that cases and deaths continue to be under-reported in this
outbreak.
Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone have recorded 15,901 cases and 5,674 deaths attributed
to the virus since the beginning of the outbreak.
No comments:
Post a Comment