US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday it
is "premature" to send experimental drugs for the treatment of
Ebola to West Africa, which has been hardest hit by the deadly
outbreak.
Obama said affected countries should focus on building a
"strong public infrastructure", adding: "I think we have to let the
science guide us... I don't think all the information is in on
whether this drug is helpful."
He emphasized that Ebola, a hemorrhagic virus that kills more
than half of those infected, "is not an airborne disease. "This is one that can be controlled and contained very effectively
if we use the right protocols."
But he said: "the countries affected are the first to admit that
what's happened here is the public health systems have been
overwhelmed. They weren't able to identify and then isolate
cases quickly enough."
"As a consequence, it spread more rapidly than has been typical
with the periodic Ebola outbreaks that occurred previously," he
added.
He said the United States is working with European partners and
the World Health Organisation to provide resources to help
contain the epidemic.
"We're focusing on the public health approach right now,
because we know how to do that, but I will continue to seek
information about what we're learning with respect to these
drugs going forward." A total of 932 people have died since March in Sierra Leone,
Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria, with 1 711 confirmed cases since the
beginning of the year.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an
infected person.
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, red eyes, diarrhoea,
vomiting and bleeding. |
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