{THE African Union (AU) has deployed 30 military doctors and civilian health workers to help tackle the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Liberia, an official has said.}
The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Dr Mustapha Kaloko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Addis Ababa on Tuesday that the personnel were drawn from five countries, including Nigeria.
He said the 30 volunteers, including two Nigerians, were expected to arrive Monrovia on Wednesday, Sept. 17, to assist in tackling the Ebola Virus Disease.
The team had undergone two-day training in Addis Ababa on how to provide support in tackling the virus under the AU Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA).
“The first batch of 30 volunteers under ASEOWA, to be deployed to Liberia, is now at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa and is undergoing pre-deployment briefing to prepare them for the mission.
“The team comprising epidemiologists, clinicians, public health specialists and communications personnel, is expected to depart the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
“The volunteers are experts deployed from five countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Ethiopia,’’ Kaloko said.
The AU official said ASEOWA would enhance the capacity of existing national and international response mechanisms through mobilisation of technical expertise, resources, political and financial support.
According to him, the team will assist in on-going humanitarian assistance and coordinate support being provided to the affected member states and augment field response operations.
“The team will also support public awareness and preventive measures across Africa and specifically in the affected West African region,’’ he said.
The ASEOWA-mission is led by Dr Julius Oketta, a Maj.-Gen. in the Ugandan armed forces, who is already in Liberia.
According to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the death toll from Ebola has reached 2,500 out of 5,000 cases in West Africa. (NAN)
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