OIC, IDB announce urgent financial aid for countries at risk of Ebola epidemics

Donors to the joint Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have announced an urgent financial aid package to countries suffering from the threat of Ebola epidemics. In addition to the financial pledges, the assistance also includes material resources, equipment and supplies, as well as trained heath workers and an associated workforce.

The IDB announced two agreements of US$45 million signed with the Government of Guinea which consists of two aid packages, a of US$10 million to fight poverty, and US$34 million to support health programmes, including US$6 million to fight Ebola. HE Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of the IDB, and HE Ambassador Mohamed Shareef, Ambassador of Guinea to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signed the two agreements on the sidelines of the conference.

The IDB also announced at the conference a grant of US$10 million as seed money for mobilisation of additional resources from NGOs and philanthropists to support efforts to fight Ebola virus disease (EVD). The Saudi Fund for Development on its part contributed US$30 million for Donka Hospital in Guinea.

In their welcoming remarks at the opening session of the Conference, the Secretary General of the OIC, Iyad Ameen Madani and the President of the IDB, Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, conveyed their sympathy with and support for the peoples and governments of the affected countries and recounted the efforts exerted by the OIC and the IDB since the start of the EVD outbreak earlier this year.

The organisations, institutions and individuals who attended the conference expressed their readiness to provide financial and technical assistance to advance the health systems and structures in the affected countries.

The conference reiterated the need for effective, coordinated and speedy response to the EVD epidemic. It also noted the necessity of community mobilisation, creating public awareness and educating people in dealing with situations resulting from this epidemic.

A large number of philanthropist organisations and individuals, NGOs and representatives of World Health Organization (WHO) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) attended the conference, which was chaired by the Deputy Health Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HE Dr Mansour Nasser Alhowasi.

In addition to high-level delegations from the two EVD-affected states, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the Minister of health of Turkey and Uganda, the Deputy Minister of Health of Malaysia, advisors to the health ministers of Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire, and high-level delegations from OIC member states also participated in the conference. Representatives of the Office of the US President’s Special Envoy to the OIC and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) attended.

As a part of OIC’s efforts to mobilise support for Ebola-affected countries, a meeting of OIC member states was held in Geneva on 29 September 2014. The meeting was chaired by the honourable Minister of Health of Indonesia, and attended by the WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan. The Resource Mobilization Conference in Jeddah was held as a follow-up to the Geneva meeting.

The assistance package announced during the conference is in line with the priorities and objectives outlined in the WHO Ebola response roadmap, and takes into account the latest assessment of the situation provided during the meeting by representatives of the affected countries, WHO, MSF and other organisations and NGOs which have been actively involved on the ground in the fight against EVD.

Ebola outbreak could affect hajj

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned 8 August that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The announcement, coupled with news that a Saudi man passed away in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia of suspected Ebola on 6 August, is causing some concern about the upcoming hajj pilgrimage.

As of 4 August 2014, there have been 1,711 cases (1,070 confirmed, 436 probable, 205 suspect) of Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 932 deaths. Between 5 and 6 August 2014, a total of 68 new cases of EVD (laboratory-confirmed, probable, and suspect cases) as well as 29 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

On 6 August, a Saudi man suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus passed away at 8.45am at a specialised hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The patient had been admitted to the intensive care unit late on 4 August after exhibiting symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever following a business trip to Sierra Leone, Saudi's Ministry of Health said. The cause of the infection is still under investigation, and people who had been in contact with the man are being traced or monitored for symptoms of Ebola.

Gulf Business has also reported that hajj visas are not being issued to pilgrims of the affected countries, while the Minister in charge of Islamic Affairs in Malaysia is quoted in the Malay Mail as stating that the hajj will continue as normal from the country. Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said only healthy pilgrims would be allowed on the hajj.

At present there are no cases of transmission outside of the affected West African countries, but the situation could change rapidly. The next few weeks will answer questions such as whether Ebola spreads easily in countries which are prepared for epidemics, and whether a cure can be made available quickly. 

View the latest FAQ on EVD here. There are currently no registered medicines or vaccines against the virus, though several experimental options are currently under development.