Sisters Hospitallers joins the fight against the Ebola outbreak currently ravaging West Africa.
West Africa is experiencing the most devastating Ebola epidemic in its history. The first case was detected on 2 December in Guinea-Conakry and since then, more than 730 people have lost their lives and another 1,325 have been affected, primarily in Sierra Leona, Liberia and Guinea.
Sisters Hospitallers: situation and measures undertaken
Sisters Hospitallers runs the “St. Benedict Menni” Health Centre in the city of Monrovia (Liberia), which provides primary outpatient care and features an area dedicated to maternity. The centre is managed by three Sisters Hospitallers: Felicia Inmaculada Gbortsu and Coletta Banca from Africa and María Encarnación González Calzada, from Spain.
As of today, two of the sisters are in Monrovia and are in good health. They maintain direct and daily contact with Begoña Pérez, Provincial Superior of England, who has sent a shipment of medical supplies, valued at EUR 10,000, to try to prevent the spread of the virus at the clinic and in the surrounding area. This action was made possible by a contribution from the Central Government through the Benedict Menni Foundation.
With no effective vaccine or cure for Ebola, one of the biggest challenges is to prevent the spread of the virus (currently out of control). Sisters Hospitallers would like to provide more assistance by sending new shipments to help equip isolated areas and acquire specific medical materials and disinfectants to benefit the region’s entire population.
Anyone wishing to contribute can do so through a simple donation system accessible from the Institution’s general website, indicating as the purpose of your donation “EMERGENCY FUNDS.”
Statement from the WHO
According to Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), “The Ebola outbreak is outpacing the authorities’ efforts to control it, with potentially catastrophic consequences.” “The current number of volunteers is woefully inadequate and a dramatic increase in public awareness of the facts about this disease is urgently needed.”
Brothers of St. John of God
The NGDO Juan Ciudad reported that the situation is very dire in two hospitals of the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, located in Lunsar (Sierra Leona) and Monrovia (Liberia).
The St. Joseph’s Hospital of Monrovia is temporarily closed. Its director, Brother Patrick Nshamdze, succumbed to the effects of the Ebola virus and passed away on 2 August, two weeks after contracting the disease.
About Ebola
Ebola is a contagious virus that is spread through direct contact with the eponymous disease. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to diarrhoea, nausea, and haemorrhaging. There is no vaccine or cure. According to the type of virus, mortality rates among the cases reported to date are higher than 50% and could reach 90%. More information about Ebola
