President Yoweri Museveni has said public information by leaders is critical in the fight against the rampaging Ebola spread currently sweeping across West Africa and the DRC, warning if not controlled the regions face very dangerous effects on economies, travel, tourism etc.
Speaking during an interview with Aljazeera TV at his residence at St. Regis Hotel in New York, President Museveni urged leaders to champion access to public information saying since the disease is mainly spread by direct contact and not airborne, this could go a long way in halting the spread.
When asked what he did when Uganda was first attacked by Ebola the president said;
“My first reaction was to understand the problem and how it spreads within a few hours. Within six hours I did a national broadcast to the country and explained to them and how to avoid it. They needed to be guided and leaders are there to do that,” he said.
The President said leaders participation gave medical practitioners the much needed leeway to focus on their work because they could not address people and at the same time focus on the treatments.
The President’s interview comes at a time when the Ebola outbreak in Africa is being discussed at the United Nations summit in New York, with concerns over the ongoing crisis – and how to cope with it – only growing.
The Security Council passed a resolution last week to address the spread of the deadly disease, calling it an “international peace and security threat.” The resolution specifically asked the governments of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to accelerate their responses to the spread of the disease. It also called on all U.N. member nations to provide urgent assistance in the form of field hospitals with qualified staff and supplies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there could be 1.4 million Ebola cases by Jan. 20, 2015, if the current trajectory in Sierra Leone and Liberia continues.
“Many people in West Africa may not be informed, they may be lack of information.,” he said.
The President said public information by leaders is crucial in creating awareness and said by the time external intervention came in with field equipment and laboratories for fast diagnosis the situation had been brought under control. This he said helped the situation because the country was well prepared during the second ebola attack.
On the situation in Somalia, the President said the security situation was improving but could improve faster in the Somali people could build their own strong army.
“AMISOM would be on the hunt for terrorists and leave the zonal control of security to the national army. The temple slows down when they are doing both,” he said.
About the terrorists attacks in Kenya and Uganda, the President said it was both an ideological problem and also a foreign affairs problem. He said these are groups that are ideologically bankrupt. He said world leaders can change this by spreading the right ideas.
“In the same way that wrong ideas spread, good ideas can spread,” he said.
On the situation in South Sudan, the President said the problem is using sectarianism as an instrument of power struggle.