THE United States Embassy in Guyana yesterday uploaded a video of President Barack Obama addressing the people of West Africa, where the Ebola virus has been having a negative impact on the population of three nations in that part of the world.In a 2.25-minute-long address, President Obama told the people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria that they would forever have a friend in him and the United States of America.
He said this while assuring them that the prayers of the United States are with the affected countries and persons, who would have lost loved ones and friends to the ravages of the Ebola virus.
President Obama assured the bereaved that the United States Government is working along with the governments of the affected countries to help fight and stop the disease. He, however, cautioned that for this to happen, persons need to know the facts about Ebola in relation to how it is transmitted.
The United States President said the reason the disease is being spread so rapidly has to do with patients being cared for at home, or during burials, when family members and friends lay their loved ones to rest.
He admonished that persons who are infected should get the right and proper treatment in a medical centre.
Almost half of the persons who immediately seek health care after experiencing the symptoms of Ebola recover from the disease, the United States President assured his audience.
Ebola is more commonly spread through contact with body fluids like sweat, or by touching the body of someone who is sick or has died of the virus. President Obama advised people to be alert against this lapse, and to ensure that their loved ones are taken to a medical facility once they exhibit the symptoms of the disease, and not attempt to treat them at home.
President Obama assured that persons can respect their traditions and still honour their loved ones without risking the lives of the living.
Ebola is not spread through the air, like the flu, but through body fluids and contaminated items, such as needles.
President Obama said that stopping the disease would not be easy, but he assured that the know-how to stop it is available. He also assured that lives can be saved if countries can work together to improve public health, so that outbreaks similar to this Ebola outbreak do not happen again.
