Kiltimagh aid worker prepares to travel to Ebola-hit country

Kiltimagh aid worker prepares to travel to Ebola hit country

A KILTIMAGH aid worker who is travelling to an Ebola hit region of west Africa believes he will be safe from infection if he takes the necessary precautions.
Dualta Rougheen (pictured) is preparing to go to the west African country of Guinea next week to co-ordinate Plan Ireland’s emergency response to the Ebola crisis in the country. Guinea is one of the worst affected areas of west Africa with a reported 1,500 cases of the often fatal virus with 700 Ebola related deaths in the country.
Speaking to The Mayo News Dualta (35) explained that while the Ebola virus has had a huge impact on the community where their organisation operates, he believes that if the proper precautions are made he should remain safe.
“The largest number of cases in Guinea are concentrated near our main centre and it impacts on the projects we are operating. It has had a huge impact on the community and we will try to minimise the risk to our staff and implement a process to reduce the risk of Ebola.
“There is a slight fear at the back of my mind and the reality is Ebola is fatal. But it is not very contagious and you have to be close to a person who has the symptoms to get infected. I think I’ll be safe enough with what I’m doing. I won’t be involved in health treatment. We’ll be working with the community on how to avoid Ebola and what to do with suspected cases,” he said.
The decision for Plan Ireland to go to Guinea was taken in the last week and Dualta said he has yet to book his flights and also break the news to his parents in Kiltimagh.

‘Extremely careful’
He admitted they won’t be best pleased and concerned for him but he said he promises to be ‘extremely careful’.
Plan Ireland is an international development organisation working in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.
Dualta has worked with Plan Ireland for the last five years and says there is a risk the Ebola crisis will also turn into a food crisis.
“A lot of the villages are isolated and transport is restricted so there is a difficulty accessing food. Restrictions on people’s movements and the establishment of quarantine zones to contain the spread of Ebola have led to panic buying, food shortages and price hikes. Supplies of food are running so low in that citizens fear many could die of hunger if the Ebola virus is not contained soon,” he explained.

MORE To help Plan Ireland’s Ebola response go to www.plan.ie.