Direct Relief Sends 100 Tons of Medical Relief to Africa in Ongoing Ebola Battle
Direct Relief is sending out its largest shipment of medical supplies ever, and the target zone is the center of the deadly Ebola virus crisis in West Africa.
The non-profit says the shipment of 100 tons of supplies will be packed this week. They will be trucked to New York and delivered on a chartered 747 jet next week. It will help clinics in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.
Thousands have died from the Ebola outbreak, and countless others are at risk. An exact count of those impacted is likely to increase and be more accurate as more medical personnel and equipment arrive.
The shipment will include special Dupont Tychem safety suits, gloves, masks and antibiotics.
On hand at Direct Relief this morning in Goleta to speak of the crisis from a personal perspective, was Abdul Jalloh from the Medical Research Centre in Sierra Leone.
He says seeing the shipment up close gives him hope. “When we say it (Ebola) was going out of control, it was out of the fact that we did not have enough resources to fight it. We did not have enough partners. But when you come and identify yourself, you say it is coming under control with the complimentary effort of your partners,” said Jalloh.
A volunteer at Direct Relief from the GlaxoSmithKline company in the United Kingdom, Peter Albert said he was saddened by the images in a slide show that showed the dire need in West Africa where many of the deaths have occurred.
“Watching those slides and seeing a fellow human being dieing of a terrible disease, I was moved to tears,” said Albert. He said the supplies from Direct Relief will help from the moment they arrive, but it will take time to win the battle because of its rapid spread and deadly consequences.
Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe said the supplies will make a significant difference at clinics in the hardest hit areas. Many have few supplies left. “It’s all been ordered. We are working with the Ministries of Health in both Sierre Leone and Liberia and every item has been examined and approved. It will be about 100 tons and it will be biggest input from the United States since the Ebola crisis erupted.”
Tighe says Direct Relief has been working with clinics that have a strong track record of getting supplies safely to those in need through a coordinated system that has been used before. He says the partners are trustworthy and Direct Relief insures the connections are solid before the supplies are sent.
