Four years after Nigeria survived an outbreak of Ebola, Director General of the West African Health Organisation, WAHO, Prof. Stanley Okolo, has said the sub-region lost $7 billion in terms of loss aid, income and productivity during the 2014 Ebola epidemic.

Okolo, in his presentation during the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement, REDISSE, 3rd Steering Committee Meeting in Lagos last week, urged countries to prepare for emergency response to prevent economic, human and other losses. He also noted that the region learnt lessons in areas such as poor surveillance infrastructure, poor information sharing and collaboration, poor emergency response and inadequate financing. “We were involved in the 2014 Ebola epidemic and had nearly $7 billion in terms of lost productivity, lost income, lost tourism and aid that came. This is probably only in cost; we are not talking of the nearly 12,000 brothers, sisters, children and women that died, we must not have that again. “So, a lot of work is going on but what I am really charging us to do is get ahead and challenge each other; and also to our leaders, that they imbibe and acquire the models and tools so as to be prepared and fight diseases,” he stated. At the week-long meeting to ratify recommendations made by the sub-committee in Lagos, Okolo said REDISSE project is a regional project funded by the World Bank, covering all the 15 ECOWAS countries and Mauritania in five-year phases from 2016 to 2023. He disclosed that 11 of the expected 16 countries have so far subscribed to the REDISSE project, stating that REDISSE has five components including surveillance and health information, laboratory capacity building, preparedness and emergency response. “I am challenging the 15 countries in West Africa to be ahead of the curve because those involved in epidemic and emergencies know it has huge economic problems. It is important to say that the first 48 hours in an outbreak of any epidemic is critical and what is done then is dependent on how prepared you are within that 48 hours. “Epidemic responsibility is dependent on the easiness of preparedness and the system in each country; in other words, the preparedness in response depends on the preparedness of each and every country. “So, we are looking at how our countries, individually, are setting up their system, their people in terms of surveillance in getting information from all the districts, all the public health communities and how they are analysing the information. Okolo who stressed the need to improve on the lessons learnt from the 2014 Ebola epidemic said “In the region, we have set up super regional laboratories; 12 of them in West Africa for human reference analysis and another two for veterinary. We are also looking at how to train people, epidemiologists, to support the countries; we have 3,000 to support across West Africa.” The World Bank Representative, Mr John Paul Clark said the meeting gave opportunity to discuss the challenges they all face, adding that the meeting would help them map out strategies to utilise the resources that would help WAHO.

“We also seek to provide the technical support and assistance in a more timely manner that will help the bank overcome some of the bureaucratic obstacles presently being encountered as well as streamline the procedures,” he added.” REDISSE project coordinator for Nigeria and Director, disease surveillance, Nigeria CDC, Dr Olubunmi Ojo said: “There is need to restructure, in terms of distribution of the fund. Disease surveillance is at the grassroots and we are trying to improve surveillance, laboratory and create more awareness.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/10/how-west-africa-lost-7bn-during-2014.html

what so many people never knew about these ebola saga was that:it was created champion by the WHO through their mouth watery programs

but what seems to amaze me is that most these diseases are even man-made e.g HIV/AIDS,EBOLA and so on...

secondly be more assure and expectant that similar issues such as ebola will still pop up in the nearest future.

Thank good Ebola is gone, it was healthily and economically disastrous.

Waiting for one president to go too

okay

Can it be recovered?

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Okay

The first commenter head dey there. Most people are just ignorant. Once I saw the world bank,I stopped reading. Like they really want Africa free & developed. Na here dem they test drive their patented diseases while waiting for the right moment to step in & offer relief for the right terms & conditions

Even if west Africa didn't loose d $7b, what difference would it have made? He says it as if d $7b would have transformed west Africa to singapore

Dis financial analysis is absolutely irrelevant and insensitive considering thousands of lives were lost and it took financial and manpower contributions worldwide to curb d epidemic den

lexy2014:
Even if west Africa didn't loose d $7b, what difference would it have made? He says it as if d $7b would have transformed west Africa to singapore

Datz a huge amount of Money..it wud go a long Way

emmydaike:
Datz a huge amount of Money..it wud go a long Way

all d ones that they didn't loose which long way has it gone?

Hmm

lexy2014:
all d ones that they didn't loose which long way has it gone?

Tell him to answer that question, Africa is good for nothing but to talk and talk

Thank God its was Goodluck Jonathan's administration it happened. Only God knows if this present Administration could manage to curb it in even a Yeah.

Mthceeew!

My question is
Why do you call it lost?

mendii:
what so many people never knew about these ebola saga was that:it was created champion by the WHO through their mouth watery programs

but what seems to amaze me is that most these diseases are even man-made e.g HIV/AIDS,EBOLA and so on...

secondly be more assure and expectant that similar issues such as ebola will still pop up in the nearest future.

Delusional! People with victim mentality hardly makes a headway since they are busy
crying wolf instead of thinking.

Let me make my own prediction. Africa should expect more famine, conflict and election violence because some world organization
are making plans for it

One day we shall stand on our own and prevent western countries use Africa for their drug experiment