Oxfam calls for Ebola recovery 'Marshall Plan'

Recovery efforts in Guinea
Recovery efforts in Guinea

Recovery efforts in Kankan, Guinea., Anne Kennedy / UNDP / Flickr cc

In light of dwindling Ebola cases in West Africa's outbreak region, the international relief group Oxfam yesterday called for a multimillion-dollar "Marshall Plan" to help Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone recover from the economic impact of the disease.

Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) executive board appointed a new leader for its African regional office, which had come under criticism during the Ebola response. And cases in the region, which have slowed to a trickle, now officially top 22,000.

Economic recovery

In a statement, Oxfam urged nations to act swiftly, with a request for an international pledging conference that would back the nations' recovery plans with generous support from developed countries.

Oxfam said its research in the three hardest-hit countries found that 73% of families reported income declines, which have dropped an average of 39%. It also found that 60% of people had not had enough food in the past week, because of both shrinking incomes and costlier food.

The group cited a World Bank estimate of nearly 180,000 job losses in Sierra Leone and half of household heads out of work in Liberia. It added that before the Ebola outbreak hit, the two countries had some of the fastest growth rates in Africa—an encouraging trend, since both had been ravaged by years of civil war.

Oxfam said recovery packages should address three key needs: immediate cash to families affected by the outbreak, investment in jobs, and budget support for essential sectors such as health and education.

Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam's executive director, said in the statement that the world can't abandon the countries, now that disease levels are tailing off. "Failure to help these countries after surviving Ebola will condemn them to a double-disaster. The world was late in waking up to the Ebola crisis, there can be no excuses for not helping to put these economies and lives back together," she said.

The Marshall Plan was a US-led initiative that helped rebuild European economies after World War II, and the term is often used to describe proposed large-scale rescue programs.

New WHO African office director

The WHO's executive board today appointed Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, MD, as the new director of the group's African regional office, succeeding Luis Gomes Sambo, MD, who has held the post for the past 10 years.

Last November African health ministers nominated Moeti, a physician from Botswana, to lead the office, which drew criticism for being slow to alert global health officials to the Ebola threat when the outbreak first emerged in West Africa last spring. The nomination awaited confirmation from the WHO's executive board.

Moeti's 5-year term begins Feb 1. She most recently served at the regional office's deputy director, and she has 35 years of experience in global health issues, notably as Botswana's health ministry HIV/AIDS lead.

An unpublished early draft of a WHO report highlighted missteps in the African regional office and some of the WHO country offices. Though the WHO said it wouldn't comment until the urgent response period has passed, some health experts said the nomination of a competent, skilled leader was a key test for the regional office.

After her appointment by the WHO board, Moeti said she'd make West Africa's Ebola battle her highest priority, the WHO said in a statement. She added that the outbreak is a tragic reminder of how important it is to bolster health services and preparedness efforts in all countries.

At a special WHO executive board session on Ebola on Jan 25, the group approved proposals for improving its ability to handle global health crises, such as West Africa's Ebola outbreak. The proposals include a contingency fund and reforms to improve the WHO's logistics and staffing for more quickly responding to health emergencies.

"I will fast-track the implementation of WHO's global reform programme in the African region, driving towards our being an even more effective, fast-acting, and accountable partner to our Member States," Moeti told delegates, according to the statement.

Ebola cases top 22,000

In an update on infection numbers today, the WHO said the case total in the three countries has reached 22,057, with the number of deaths rising to 8,795.The data include cases reported as of Jan 25.

The numbers reflect an increase of 133 cases and 58 deaths from the totals the WHO reported yesterday. An important caveat is that they include cases since Jan 24 for Guinea and Sierra Leone, but ones over a longer span from Liberia—since Jan 20.

Most of the new cases were reported from Liberia since that time: 98, including 50 deaths. Since Jan 24, Guinea reported 8 new infections and 4 more deaths, while Sierra Leone reported 27 more illnesses, along with 7fatalities.

Sierra Leone is still the hardest-hit country, with 10,518 cases. Liberia, however, still has the most deaths, with 3,686.

In another outbreak development, Senegal yesterday reopened its land borders with Guinea, according to today's update from the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). It said Senegal had reopened its air and sea borders on Nov 14, after closing its borders on Aug 21.

See also:

Jan 26 Oxfam statement

Jan 27 WHO statement on Moeti appointment

Jan 27 WHO Ebola update

Jan 27 UNMEER update

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