Notable Diasporan African leader and renowned philanthropist, Her Excellency Rev. Dr. Ocansey, delivered a powerful keynote address unmasking the impact of the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Speaking at the University of Alberta-Canada’s maiden Ebola Symposium, Her Excellency indicated that the virus spread rapidly due to a ‘mistaken identity in a very weak health care system'.
‘Unlike Malaria and Lassa fever, Ebola broke the innate human contact system, leaving mothers to watch their babies die without being able to hold them!’ said Dr. Ocansey ‘By the time Ebola was fully diagnosed, the 'wolf' which came to town in 'sheep’s clothing' had infected many people, especially healthcare workers, who unknowingly treated the early cases like malaria or Lassa with the lack of knowledge nor equipment for the strict Ebola protocols, causing an unprecedented radical outbreak!’ said Dr. Ocansey, who is Chairperson of the rural African Nekotech Center of Excellence in Ghana, the Canadian Ebola Transfer2Transform Chimp Charity as well as the US-Africa Ebola Working Group, in Washington DC.
The Symposium’s panel discussion brought together experts for a highly informative session on the Ebola tragedy in the three West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Dr. James Talbot, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said the Province is well prepared to deal with any patient who may be infected with Ebola. ‘Anything that is required to improve the safety of the people in Alberta – patients, staff – we will do’, said Dr. James Talbot.
Alberta University’s Music Professor, Michael Frishkopf, who has been working on an interesting project – ‘Music for Ebola Education and Behavioural Change’ made a presentation with three popular Liberian Musicians – Samuel Morgan (aka Shadow), Edwin Tweh (aka D-12) and Mark Gray (aka Kuzzy of 2Kings). Michael, who has been working with local musicians in Liberia as well as in Northern Ghana, said music has untapped power which can have a major impact in creating accelerated awareness to save many lives.
Dr. Stan Houston, a Professor at the University of Alberta, gave a detailed presentation on ‘Ebola 101’, giving the full genesis of Ebola, which dates back to 1967, when the virus was first identified in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo –DRC).
A very vivid presentation came from an Ebola front-line worker, Stephanie Urness, a nurse from MSF who worked in West Africa, treating Ebola patients. Stephanie described the anguish of friends and family when she decided to go to West Africa to assist with Ebola. She presented an alarming first-hand experience of working on the front-lines as a healthcare worker coming face to face with Ebola.
Dr. Geoff Taylor, an HIV/AIDS expert from the University of Alberta, who had previously spent time on HIV/AIDS in Uganda, discussed hospital preparedness in Alberta for Ebola. Alberta has had a few Ebola scares, fortunately each case turned out negative for Ebola.
Dr. Duncan Saunders, a Medical Professor at the University of Alberta, said Alberta hospitals have taken all the necessary steps to deal with Ebola.
After a heated panel discussion on Canada’s, Alberta’s and the University’s role in Ebola Control, students made comments that Africans needed to take the leadership role, to empower the International community to play a supporting role.
Symposium attendees expressed their appreciation in seeing West Africans- musicians and a prominent West African leader, H.E. Rev. Dr. Ocansey, taking leadership roles in Ebola advocacy. As Chairperson of Nekotech Center's Canadian Chimp Charity-Transfer2Transform, Her Excellency is championing an international Virtual Viral Teaching Hospital to enable international experts to share their expertise without having to travel to West Africa.
'For lack of knowledge, my people perish,' said Dr. Ocansey. 'This virtual viral teaching hospital has been put together in partnership with eZ-Xpo, a US based game-changing virtual expo platform developer, which will enable a cost effective knowledge transfer to West Africa, to support the Government's efforts to strengthen our health care system,' said Dr. Ocansey.
'Ebola is a symptom of a larger problem,' said Dr. Ocansey. 'We sorely need to establish a healthcare system that can effectively manage a strong health surveillance system (HSS) and efficiently conduct an infection control and prevention (ICP) program on a daily basis. This will enable us to expediently detect and implement a rapid response to put any epidemic in check, be it Ebola, HIV, Cholera or any other in the future,' said Dr. Ocansey.
In the US, Dr. Ocansey chairs the US-Africa Ebola Working Group, a high powered Washington DC advocacy group whose Executive Director, Ms. Ellen Dunbar, is a visionary Liberian leader in Washington DC – under the leadership of Joel Segal, a renowned transformational Capitol Hill activist. Made up of top Capitol Hill leaders and seasoned White House Advocacy activists, the US-Africa Ebola Working Group has been actively lobbying the US Congress to release the promised $6.8 billion towards the Ebola war, with a Post Ebola plan of Universal healthcare for Africa.
Shadow, D-12 and Kuzzy have been very effective in using their music internationally – both in Canada and the USA- to bring awareness and to advocate for support.
‘Complacency will cost us more lives!' warned Her Excellency. 'Let's put all hands on deck, harmonize the best practices and lessons learned and let's Crush Ebola for good!
Symposium attendees gave highly positive feedback on the symposium: ‘The content and presentations were very powerful, well organised, expertly delivered - I will surely participate in crushing Ebola for good!’ said a medical student from the University.
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