Former United Nations’ (UN) Secretary General, Kofi Annan has asked other African leaders to pitch in to help the fight against the deadly Ebola virus which has claimed over 2,300 lives.
He has however lauded President John Mahama’s contribution to fighting the disease in the affected West African nations.
“I know that President Mahama has been in touch with the ECOWAS leaders, and they have discussed it but I think they could do more,” he remarked.
His commendation follows President Mahama’s one-day visit to the three Ebola-stricken West African countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
He engaged in further discussions with the Heads of State of the respective countries and also donated some items to help feed persons in treatment centers and others currently on quarantine in isolation centers.
The Ebola virus has killed 2,300 persons while 4,293 cases have been recorded so far. International organizations and other nations of the West have pitched in to help fight the disease to save more lives.
Speaking on the BBC’s Focus on Africa, the former UN boss Kofi Annan bemoaned the decision by some airline operators to ban flights to affected countries which according to him, was the “worst possible response.”
“I was very disappointed that some began grounding airlines or refusing to fly to the countries affected because that was the worst possible response,” he said.
Kofi Annan pointed out that grounding flights to and from affected countries is creating “situations where it would have been difficult for health workers, medical supplies and equipment when in fact, that was what was needed.”
He has, therefore, appealed to global leaders to send in more trained personnel to assist the fight against the Ebola disease.
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