An Irish charity has announced it is raising money to buy protective suits for health workers managing the Ebola virus outbreak abroad. The Leprosy Mission Ireland aims to buy 20,000 disposable suits for aid workers in west Africa, where the outbreak continues to spread.
Personnel volunteering on the medical frontline wear personal protective equipment suits, which resemble hazmat suits, to reduce the risks associated with treating Ebola sufferers. The Leprosy Mission estimates €5 will cover the cost of buying and shipping one suit to an aid worker in an affected area.
Chief executive Ken Gibson said: “Our colleagues working with the Leprosy Mission across Africa are on the frontline every day helping those suffering from the Ebola outbreak as part of their medical duties.
“Protective clothing is running dangerously low and personnel are having to put their own lives and health at risk daily. Requests are coming in constantly for more protective clothing for workers across the developing world, which is why we are launching this fundraising drive.”
According to the World Health Organisation, health workers are at higher risk of infection during an outbreak. An unprecedented number of medical staff in West Africa are infected with Ebola.
To date, over 240 healthcare workers have contracted the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and more than 120 have died. The WHO cited shortages of personal protective equipment as one of the causes of the high proportion of healthcare workers infected.
The WHO estimates that more than 1,350 people have died from Ebola in west Africa in the last few months, making this its worst outbreak since its discovery 40 years ago.