Denial hampers Ebola fight in Gibi District

The Gibi District Commissioner has disclosed that the issue of denial was hampering the fight against the deadly Ebola in the area.

(L-R) Commissioner Amos Boyer and Paramount Chief Peter K. W. Gbarnyue

Commissioner Amos Boyer, speaking to reporters recently in the district, explained that despite the massive awareness by local chiefs in the district,  residents of the district continue to harbor different views about the disease, attributing it to witchcraft activities.

The commissioner also claimed that the some citizens of Gibi District were seriously accusing them (local authorities) of receiving money from the central  government their blood  in the district in the name of Ebola.

The district, which has experienced 12 deaths at  6% of the total number of Ebola cases in Margibi since the outbreak in the County, has so far experienced approximately 9 confirmed deaths with signs and symptoms of the disease. He called on the Margibi authorities, county burial team and county task force to aid them in battling the virus.

In related development, the Paramount Chief of the Gibi District, Chief Peter K. W. Gbarnyue has ordered all local chiefs under his authority to close all boundary points with the district as another measure of tackling the disease.

He indicated that there were about 14 crossing points in the district, naming the major ones as Laygawhen, Nuan Town, Naygamo and Doloimue, as well as Glekpan, among others which are closed to Grand Bassa County.

Speaking further, the Gibi District Paramount Chief emphasized the urgent need for the Lawmakers in the county to aid them with anti-Ebola items, including buckets and cholera to enhance the fight against the deadly disease in the district.