As experts call for no sex for Ebola patients… SLAJ President calls on Journalists to fight Ebola as a national service

The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Kelvin Lewis has called on Journalists to consider the call for help from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation on the Ebola outbreak as a call for national service. He made this call at a one day orientation on Ebola for Journalists organized by SLAJ and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation at the Grass Groot Empowerment Movement (GGEM) on Wednesday 16th July 2014. He asked all journalists, to use their pens, microphones and computers to help fight the Ebola various, he added that Journalists should place strict attention to the outbreak. He disclosed that the official number of death toll is now 118 and the number is still climbing. According to the SLAJ President the orientation is not only timely but very important. He stressed that Ebola is real; pointing out that some lives have been claimed including Nurses, a Pastor and a Journalist that was reporting from the eastern region. “Ebola is real, it has touched our profession and I don’t want it to touch any one anymore, it is a deadly various,” he said. Dan Parkinson of the Ministry of Information and Communication apologized to Journalists for considering them very late as they should have been the first partner to contact. According to him SLAJ should have being contacted long before now. He said Ebola is real, he described it has worse than the 11 years’ war the country went true. He called on all to put hands on deck to fight the outbreak. Health Promotion Officer of the World Health Organization in Sierra Leone, Aminata Grace Hobie, said they are looking forward to partner with the Media to contain the outbreak in the country. She disclosed that the outbreak is at the moment spreading at a very faster rate. She pointed out that Ebola is not a sectarian issue but cut across. She said even dour Ebola is fertile it can be prevented. “If we don’t put all hands on deck to prevent it, it will kill lot of people. Let us forget the traditional practices for now and focus on the preventing measure” Ebola should be respected, if you don’t respect Ebola virus you will die,” she stressed. Jonathan Abass Kamara of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation recalled on the first orientation they had for the Media. He thanked Journalists for their presence in the orientation and said the Ministry is ready to work with the Media in a partnership to help in the outbreak. As he put it, without the media it is impossible for any institution to succeed. He stressed that there are lots of challenges the Ministry is facing in the Ebola situation. He outlined some of the challenges such as the way some people taking it as a cause in the nation, some Nurses give Ebola treatment to victim at home, thinking that there is a medicine for the outbreak. United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Ebola expert Grev Hunt said Ebola outbreak will not be over in Sierra Leone until it over in Guinea and Liberia because of the borders link of these countries. He pointed out that due to the low use of condom in the country which he said 11% of the population use condom, therefore people should abstain from sex when they are affected with Ebola for 3 months. He explained that the virus stays in the sperm for 3 months after treatment. He asked for any case of Ebola they should call the emergency line which is 117. “This Ebola is the largest in history with over 500 deaths in the sub region,” he said. Doctor Harold Thomas of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said in Sierra Leone currently 369 Laboratory confirmed, 118 confirmed deaths and 60 people have been discharge. There is no specific treatment or cure. He said they only give supportive treatment for symptoms. The Symptoms of Ebola he said include: Fever, Headache, Joint and muscle aches, Weakness, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Stomach pain and Lack of appetite among others. Story By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay