As global concerns heightened on rapid spread of the deadly Coronavirus, the National Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) dismissesreport of a virus carrier on the run in Liberia.
Addressing a press conference at the NPHIL head office in Congo Town, Acting Director,Doctor Mosoka P. Fallah, notes that rumors of a suspected carrier on the run is not true, after conducting thorough investigation.However, he asserts such rumors are good to keep the institution ahead of the issues.
Doctor Fallah explains that after receiving call from FrontpageAfrica editor about a suspect case in the country, NPHIL quickly established links with all contact points across the country, which proved there is no such case here.
He discloses the institution has increased its ability to monitor rumors because of close interactions it has had pluslevel of awareness with the public.
“We are trying to reverse the adversely quarantine. Every country has to make a decision for the safety for its people. This morning, I was in a meeting with the Minster of Health and the WHO Representative; last night, I was on a call with the USA CDC; we are trying to reverse the adversely to send to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform countries about the decisions we have made to protect our country,” Doctor Fallahdiscloses.
Doctor Fallah continues that the disease has so many complications, noting that there is a case in the United States that has no link with anyone that has arrived there, causing so much panic now around the world.
United States Federal health authorities said Tuesday they now expect a wider spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and are preparing for a potential pandemic, though they remain unsure about how severe the health threat could be.
According to the World Street Journal, Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday the agency expects a sustained transmission of the virus and called for businesses, schools and communities to brace themselves and plan for potential outbreaks.
“We expect we will see community spread in this country,” meaning the virus circulating within local communities, said Dr. Messonnier.
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He reminded that the first adversary said people from China but they (NPHIL) have to change that to next adversary that will later be announced based on other cases identified in countries that have confirmed cases.
“This institute has always been proactive in giving information to the media and there will be no reason why we’d not share information to them when there is a suspected case; secondly is that when there is outbreak, it’s better for people to be talking than not talking; we learned that from Ebola.”
He says if people are not talking in the case of epidemics than they’re hiding information, maintaining that rumors are rumors but the key issue is verifying the rumors.
Doctor Fallah, also encourages the public to continue calling hotline 4455, if there is any rumor for the institution to verify, nothing that if the information published on the local daily’s website had truth in it than Africa is in problem, but notes that after all contacts, there is no information leading to the information published.
“After we got the information yesterday, FrontPageAfrica linked us with their sources that claimed she got the information from a Liberian community in China. To admit, since this thing started, we have been in contact with the Chinese Embassy and they’re really helping us with information, so when we got the information yesterday, the Chinese Embassy confirms[says] the information is not true,” Doctor Fallahclarifies. By Ben P. Wesee–Editing by Jonathan Browne
