V. A. MELNIKOV Our sobkor in Ghana Keywords: Ebola, virus, Ghana, Liberia, ECOWAS, borders According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the last week of January of this year, three African countries affected by the Ebola virus have again experienced outbreaks of the deadly disease 1. Of the 124 reported cases, 80 were registered in Sierra Leone, 39 in Guinea and 5 in Liberia. In February of this year - 74, 52 and 2, respectively. More than 16,000 children have lost their parents and become orphans as a result of the spread of the virus in these three countries2. Since December 2013, approximately 10,5 thousand people have died. "The increase in cases is undoubtedly worrying, but we knew that the fever would flare up again," said David Nabarro, the UN Secretary-General's special Representative for Ebola. "We are on the right track, but we need to be vigilant because there are still pockets of infection." By the end of 2014 and the beginning of the new year, WHO recorded the lowest number of cases. Hopes were growing that the critical point in the fight against the fever was over. "However, the suspicions of health workers, especially in Guinea, and the lack of confidence in local practices in countering the virus continue to serve as an obstacle in the fight against Ebola," the UN said. Once again, the unsafe burial of bodies in eastern Guinea on the border with Ivory Coast has caused 11 new cases. "A team of rapid response doctors is operating in the area," the WHO added. Relatives and close people who attended the funeral were already infected, because they had physical contact with the bodies of the deceased. WHO stressed the need to step up efforts before the start of the rainy season in April and May, which can cause road blurring and hinder the movement of medical teams. THE SITUATION IN GHANA Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, on behalf of the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which he heads, called on the ... Read more