LCP Holds Tet-tate With Media Executives

-Calls For Concerted Efforts In Propagating Messages of Zaire Ebola Virus In Liberia

The Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) along with officials from the Ministry of Health and partners Friday January 25, 2019 met with media executives in Monrovia calling for concerted efforts in propagating the messages surrounding the latest discovery of Zaire Ebola found in monkey in Nimba County.

Making statement, the head of Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP), Ambassador Julie Endee who has been partnering with the Ministry of Health and partners commended the officials of the media and said they remain an integral part of spreading health messages which will ensure preventive measures.

The Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) is a local non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1994. The LCP is an advocacy and social mobilization organization that promotes behavior change and participatory communication through community dialogue and conversation, theatre, music and dance.

It can be recalled the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), and the Ministry of Health Thursday January 24, 2019 disclosed that discovery from research conducted by the institute and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to establish whether bats carry the Ebola virus, has proven positive.

According to a release, this means that as per the research conducted by the Liberian Government, the Zaire Ebola virus was found only in one type of bat.

However, health authorities said “there is no known case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in people in Liberia at the moment.”

The release said the NPHIL and the MoH have been sampling bats for the last two years in Liberia and discovered the Zaire Ebola virus in a single bat species.

They further said the infected bat was along with others sampled in late 2016 and tested between June and November 2018.

“To date, all other bats have tested negative, there is no known case of Ebola virus disease in people in Liberia at this time,” the release said.

Though there is no Ebola Virus in humans in the country at the moment, but health authorities have encouraged people living in Liberia and the region to continue the hand washing practice and avoid eating bats, monkeys and rats.

Meanwhile, following the latest discovery, the Liberia Crusaders for Peace said it has developed health messages and wants a concerted partnership with the Liberian media in reaching out to everyone across the country.