Health Ministry updates media on Ebola

Speaking at the briefing, Modou Njai, director of health promotion and education, said The Gambia has not reported any suspected case and is still an Ebola-free country.

He urged the people not to be complacent about the viral disease.

Njai commended the media for playing a critical role in disseminating right and factual information to the general public on Ebola.

This, he noted, has greatly helped the public to follow good health behaviour about Ebola, and also dispel rumours about the viral disease.

According to Mr Njai, the partnership between the media and the Ministry of Health “is very cordial”, and the relationship would go from strength to strength.

He said a lot of social mobilization had been conducted at community level and Village Development Committees (VDCs), and drama groups have been trained across the country.

Mr Njai added that through the support of the UNDP, the Ministry of Health had developed six posters and through the non-formal education unit of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, they have translated the information into six languages including Arabic.

“The communication manual tools developed will be used for the training of trainers,” he said.

Bakary Sanneh, a laboratory scientist at the National Public Health Lab, revealed that The Gambia as a country has developed all documents to train laboratory staff on Ebola, adding that currently 80 laboratory staff had been trained countrywide.

Lamin Kanyi of the communication unit of the directorate of health promotion, in his remarks, told the gathering that cases have now emerged in Liberia after the World Health Organization declared them Ebola-free.

According to Mr Kanyi, since the Ebola outbreak started in West Africa, a total of 27,479 deaths have been reported.

He urged the media to intensify its effort in the fight against Ebola.