MONROVIA August 30 (LINA) - Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services Tolbert Nyenswah has said the issue of denial that previously dominated Liberia’s fight against Ebola has been reduced significantly.

He said denial has been a key problem in fighting the Ebola disease, as it led to high rate of infections due to the fact that many Liberians initially underestimated the prevalence of the disease in the country.
He made the statement recently at a news conference held in the compound of the General Services Agency in Monrovia on Friday.
The Minister said reducing denials is “a great achievement and boost” to Liberia’s Ebola fight as many people are now helping to spread preventive messages in communities and places of work and worship.
Nyenswah stressed that the recent advocacy by the international community on behalf of Liberia and other affected countries against some countries that imposed bans on flights to isolate affected countries, is also a major achievement in Liberia’s struggle to eradicate the Ebola virus.
“The international community has now agreed that affected countries are not going to be left alone in this fight, as they have realized that this is a global problem and therefore the local government alone cannot handle it,” he said.
He disclosed that the government is exerting efforts to create additional rooms and treatment units to accommodate patients as well as ensure the reopening of all hospitals and clinics in the country.
Meanwhile, Nyenswah has appealed to the public to inform the health teams as soon as possible when someone is ill the community, rather than wait until they die.
He said by informing the health team early, the virus will be quickly contained and eradicated from the country.
LINA WSG/TSS/PTK