Ebola is a disease that knows no boundaries – Mahama tells UN
President John Dramani Mahama has called on the world to come together to fight the deadly Ebola virus, calling it a “disease that knows no boundaries”.
Addressing the 69th United Nations General Assembly in New York on the Ebola virus, President Mahama said: “Ebola is not just a Liberian problem, Ebola is not a Sierra Leonean or a Guinean problem; it is not just a West African problem, Ebola is a problem of the world because it is a disease that knows no boundaries.”
President Mahama said the disease is wreaking havoc on the region’s economy and the battle against the virus should not be left to West Africa alone.
The Ebola virus is currently spreading across West Africa and is believed to have killed over 2,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria since the outbreak began in February, according to the World Health Organization.
Speaking on the ban on flights to Ebola-stricken countries, President Mahama, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, said: “We cannot let fear keep us away, we cannot afford to let it compromise the very impulses that not only define but retain our humanity. We must erase the stigma.”
President Mahama announced that Ghana has offered the use of its capital, Accra, as a base of operations for activities geared towards the containment of the disease.
He commended UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon and the Security Council for establishing the United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
