China commits $1m to train Ghana health workers in Ebola management

China has committed $1million and medical supplies into Ebola control and prevention in Ghana.

Mr Li Jiang, of the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of the China Embassy said his government views the disease as a global threat and is willing to provide the technical and financial assistance in curbing the spread of the virus.

He was speaking at a training workshop organised by the Western Regional Health Service in collaboration with the China Centre for Disease Control on Ebola Preparedness and Response in Takoradi.

Ebola which was first recorded in the 1970’s in Congo through animal-to-human transmission is now mainly spread through human to human transmission which kills the human cells and breaks down the immune system and thereby causing bleeding and eventual death of the affected persons.

The training is to update the knowledge and skills of community health workers and volunteers to facilitate early detection in order to minimise the risk of infections on clients, health workers and communities.

Mr Francis Anleah, Regional Disease Control Officer said the Ghana-China public health training on Ebola would demonstrate how participants could effectively identify and approach the disease.

In 2014, the greatest outbreak of the disease was recorded along West Africa, US, Spain and the UK among others.

Dr Emmanuel Tikorang, Regional Director of GHS said the training could enable health professionals to understand the nature of the disease and use the knowledge acquired to handle and treat all epidemics such as cholera.

China had sent more than 232 military medical workers to West Africa to  join 43 army doctors and 35 specialists from the China Centre for Disease Control  to train more than one thousand local medical workers.

Source: GNA