VOINJAMA, Lofa County – A faith-based, not-for-profit organization operating in Lofa County, the origin of  Liberia’s Ebola nightmare, has donated a consignment of assorted materials, including anti-Ebola materials, to several residents.

The supplies from the Pentecostal Mission Unlimited (PMU-Liberia) come on the heel of unconfirmed media reports suggesting that a suspected Ebola patient traveled to the county earlier this week to seek medical attention after being exposed to the virus in Monrovia.

The county health officials told local journalists that a massive effort to find cases and trace contacts is now underway. It is being carried out in the small town of Zegida, Zorzor District in Lofa County.  The suspected woman was reportedly showing symptoms of the virus just three days after her arrival in the area.

The woman in question was reportedly brought back to Monrovia as recommended by the Ministry of Health, and tested positive for the virus.

The new report of a suspected Ebola case in the region has now triggered fears among Lofans.  Lofa County has reported no new cases for the past three months despite the fact that the county was the epicenter of the virus’s initial outbreak in Liberia. The first case of Ebola in Liberia was reported in Foya, Lofa County.  By August 2014, the epicenter of the disease quickly shifted to Barkedu, a small town in Quardu Gboni District, Lofa County. Barkedu then recorded the highest number of deaths in the county with about 300 persons reported to have died of Ebola in the town.

Davestus James, Program Manager for PMU-Liberia told journalists over the weekend during the distribution of the items that his NGO was buttressing the efforts of government and international partners in helping to eradicate the deadly Ebola virus.

“Despite the slowdown in the number of cases, we still feel there is a need for us to help our people and to remind them not to be complacent because Ebola is still in Liberia,” He told reporters.

According to him, the materials were made available through funding from its Sweden counterpart, PMU-Interlife, which has pledged commitment to helping affected communities rebuild their lives.

James added that PMU Liberia had requested assistance from PMU-Interlife. He continued, “So to help the people be free from Ebola and be safe, [PMU-Interlife] said, ‘We will give you support to reach out to the people in these communities especially the women and Children.’”

James pointed out that the  donation was the second phase of an initial contribution that was carried out in November, 2014  to four communities in Kolahun District.  He also mentioned that this phase targeted eight communities including Letisu and Zango towns in Voinjama District, Barkedu in Quardu Gboni District, Koisua Town in Foya District among others.

The donated materials included cartons of bleach, hand sanitizers, used children’s clothes, buckets, and sprayers, among other things.

Roland Ngumawah, the general town chief of Koisua Town in Foya District, was thankful to receive the items on behalf of his kinsmen and praised the PMU family for the gesture.

“We have a common saying in Kissi that you don’t have [a] mouth unless [someone else’s] mouth talks for you. If you people had not spoken on our behalf we could not have gotten this thing,” the town chief noted.

Photo courtesy: Stephen D. Kollie