A global response to this scourge is needed

Ebola is a major threat that knows no borders. Currently, the numbers of people contracting it are doubling every 15 to 20 days in Liberia and every 25 to 30 days in Sierra Leone. Until now, it has been too easy for those outside the continent to dismiss this as an African problem. But with cases now diagnosed in the United States and Spain, the risks are clearer than ever: Unchecked, the outbreak could have catastrophic consequences beyond West Africa.

For Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, Ebola is a tragedy that touches every person. Thousands have seen family members succumb to the disease and thousands more are struggling to feed their families now that prices of rice and other basic foodstuff have more than doubled. International companies have withdrawn, tourism has dried up and healthcare systems are at breaking point.

Thanks to the brave and committed medical staff leading efforts to diagnose and treat Ebola sufferers, crucial steps are under way to contain and defeat the disease. A British nurse, Mr William Pooley, who contracted the disease while caring for patients in Sierra Leone, has spoken movingly of the horror and misery that he had witnessed. His testimony was a powerful call to international partners gathered in London for the Conference on Defeating Ebola to work together to provide the expertise, manpower and finances needed to tackle this crisis.

The United Kingdom has pledged £125 million (S$256 million) as the largest single donor to the effort in Sierra Leone. We are supporting 700 beds to help up to 8,800 patients over six months, shoring up the country’s stretched public health services. We have military medics and engineers on the ground and we have flown in ambulances, tents, incinerators, equipment and vital supplies. Last week, we announced a huge increase in our practical contribution. We are deploying hundreds more military personnel, three helicopters and an aviation support ship to Sierra Leone. In total, Britain has committed to provide more than 750 military personnel to this effort, supporting the establishment of treatment centres and an Ebola training academy for healthcare workers, logisticians and hygienists.

But more is needed. To get ahead of the curve, we will need innovative solutions. So, we will also be launching rapid trials of community care units designed to isolate Ebola cases more quickly and help develop cultural practices on burial rituals to reduce the risk of infection. We are also working to accelerate vaccine trials.

The US and France have made generous commitments to support the response in Liberia and Guinea. At the Defeating Ebola Conference on Oct 2, pledges were received from across the world, including a new coalition of non-governmental organisations, businesses, philanthropists and governments. We are being joined by new partners such as Cuba and El Salvador. More than £100 million was pledged and we are following up on offers to deploy hundreds of healthcare workers.

But that was only the start. Others can, and must, do more. With every month that passes, the costs and personnel numbers needed to fight Ebola double. We need all those who had pledged to help to now turn their words into actions urgently. The people of West Africa need help now, not next month. This is not an African problem, it is a global one. It needs a global response before it is too late.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Philip Hammond is the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.