Liberia's President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has written
a heartfelt letter to the world over the Ebola crisis
that hit her country. In the letter which was read
over the radio and transmitted worldwide, she
likened the Ebola epidermic to the civil war her
country faced 11 years ago which killed a lot of Liberians, crumbled their economy and vital
institutions. The president called on the international
community to stop all theoretical explanations on
the Ebola crisis and act fast to stop the spread of
the deadly virus. Find her letter after the cut... Dear World In just over six months, Ebola has managed to
bring my country to a standstill. We have lost over
2,000 Liberians. Some are children struck down in
the prime of their youth. Some were fathers,
mothers, brothers or best friends. Many were
brave health workers that risked their lives to save others, or simply offer victims comfort in their final
moments. There is no coincidence Ebola has taken hold in
three fragile states – Liberia, Sierra Leone and
Guinea - all battling to overcome the effects of
interconnected wars. In Liberia, our civil war
ended only eleven years ago. It destroyed our
public infrastructure, crushed our economy and led to an exodus of educated professionals. A
country that had some 3,000 qualified doctors at
the start of the war was dependent by its end on
barely three dozen. In the last few years, Liberia
was bouncing back. We realized there was a long
way to go, but the future was looking bright. Now Ebola threatens to erase that hard work. Our
economy was set to be larger and stronger this
year, offering more jobs to Liberians and raising
living standards. Ebola is not just a health crisis –
across West Africa, a generation of young people
risk being lost to an economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut and borders
are closed. The virus has been able to spread so rapidly
because of the insufficient strength of the
emergency, medical and military services that
remain under-resourced and without the
preparedness to confront such a challenge. This
would have been the case whether the confrontation was with Ebola, another infectious
disease, or a natural disaster. But one thing is clear. This is a fight in which the
whole world has a stake. This disease respects no
borders. The damage it is causing in West Africa,
whether in public health, the economy or within
communities – is already reverberating throughout
the region and across the world. The international reaction to this crisis was initially
inconsistent and lacking in clear direction or
urgency. Now finally, the world has woken up. The
community of nations has realized they cannot
simply pull up the drawbridge and wish this
situation away. This fight requires a commitment from every nation
that has the capacity to help – whether that is with
emergency funds, medical supplies or clinical
expertise. I have every faith in our resilience as Liberians, and
our capacity as global citizens, to face down this
disease, beat it and rebuild. History has shown that
when a people are at their darkest hour, humanity
has an enviable ability to act with bravery,
compassion and selflessness for the benefit of those most in need. From governments to international organisations,
financial institutions to NGOs, politicians to ordinary
people on the street in any corner of the world, we
all have a stake in the battle against Ebola. It is the
duty of all of us, as global citizens, to send a
message that we will not leave millions of West Africans to fend for themselves against an enemy
that they do not know, and against whom they
have little defence. The time for talking or theorizing is over. Only
concerted action will save my country, and our
neighbours, from experiencing another national
tragedy. The words of Henrik Ibsen have never
been truer: “A thousand words leave not the same
deep impression as does a single deed. Yours sincerely, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Touching. Let's all continue to pray for Liberia and other countries still in the heat of the epidemic. Also, we must continue to sustain the concerted efforts Nigeria has so far taken in order to avert any further manifestation of the virus.

Ebola ur days are numbered