The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has airlifted more than 16 tons of medical supplies and emergency equipment to Monrovia to step up Liberia's Ebola response.
A press release issued by USAID in Washington yesterday says the shipment was dispatched on August 24 from USAID’s warehouse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and "included 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE), two water treatment systems, two portable water tanks capable of storing 10,000 liters each, and 100 rolls of plastic sheeting, which can be used in the construction of Ebola treatment centers".
The Director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, Jeremy Konyndyk said “The U.S. is committed to working with the Liberian government, in close coordination with our international partners, to ensure that those working on the front line of this crisis get the medical supplies, training, and support needed to safely do their jobs.
Konyndyk arrived in Monrovia on Sunday 24 August with Dr. Tom Frieden who is the Director of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "to see the impact of the Ebola outbreak first-hand, assess response activities, and discuss disease prevention and treatment strategies with Liberian officials", the release says.
The US deployed a multi-agency Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) early this month to coordinate the their response efforts in West Africa and has committed more than $14.5 million to support the Ebola response since the first case was detected in Guinea in March.
(C) Politico 26/08/14
