While several meetings at different levels concerning Ebola epidemic have been held in the past, several challenges persist.

CONAKRY, GUINEA, August 13, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CONAKRY, Guinea, August 13, 2014. A three-day workshop on synchronized cross-border interventions to contain the Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone ended here today. Organized under the aegis of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the workshop is a follow-up to the WAHO proposed recommendations which were approved at the end of the July 2014 Summit of the Heads of State and Government held in Accra.
Present at the workshop were around 30 participants comprised of health officials, civilian administrators, community leaders in border districts, and national disease control officials from affected countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone) including implementation partners such as RESAOLAB, Fondation Merieux and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC). The delegation from Liberia, initially scheduled to participate in the workshop could not attend due to last minute cancellation of the connecting flight from Abidjan.
Welcoming participants to the workshop on behalf of the WAHO Director General, Dr. Xavier Crespin, the Programme Officer in charge of Disease and Epidemic Control, Dr. Felicité Chokki-Laleye reminded participants that while several meetings at different levels concerning the epidemic have been held in the past, several challenges persist. According to Dr.Crespin, no intervention to contain Ebola epidemic should be left unexplored until the West African region effectively brings it under control.

“This workshop is yet another opportunity for us all to share experiences, identify bottlenecks in our response efforts and come up with appropriate strategies to better contain the epidemic especially across our common borders” he concluded.

Declaring the meeting open, the Guinean Minister of Public Health & Public Hygiene, Dr. Colonel Remy Lamah told participants that this workshop is a further testimony of the concern that the Ebola epidemic represents in our region.

He said “ We are aware that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone do not individually possess response capacities to contain this epidemic without harmonizing their efforts”…” The cross-border nature of the epidemic, the risk of propagation within our different countries and beyond require us to take adequate and harmonized measures” he concluded.

Among the cross-border activities approved for synchronization are surveillance, case management and contact tracing, harmonization of communication strategies, sharing of logistic information and resources, and supervision and evaluation of interventions
On 11 August, WAHO Liaison Officer in Guinea Dr. M’balou Diakhaby accompanied the workshop’s organizing delegation led by Dr. Felicité Chokki-Laleye to pay a courtesy visit to the Guinean Minister of Health and to deliver a solidarity message from Dr Xavier Crespin.

Kayode Egbeleye
West African Health Organisation
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