By Bill W. Cooper
The Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dougbeh Chris Nyan, has expressed grave concerns over the lack of funding from the government despite being approved in the Fiscal Year (FY2024) budget.
Dr. Nyan disclosed that despite the government, through the Ministry of Finance’s refusal to disburse the entity’s approved funds, the country has seen a total of 19 recoveries and zero deaths from the virus since the outbreak.
He also noted that the absence of fatalities is a positive sign, but emphasized that the situation remains precarious without sufficient funding for surveillance, treatment, and public awareness campaigns, training of response staff, among others.
Even though some authorities from NPHIL said the amount will get things started, Dr. Nyan, addressing a news conference yesterday disclosed that more will be needed for the longer fight ahead.
Amidst the encouraging news of the 19 recoveries and zero reported deaths of the virus so far, Nyan also warned that inadequate financial resources could hinder efforts to control the virus and prevent future outbreaks.
“While we celebrate the recoveries, we must also confront the reality that our resources are dwindling. The government’s financial support is crucial for us to continue our work effectively. Without it, we risk losing the progress we have made,” he said.
“It is serious and key because to-date, we are yet to receive a dime from the government through the Ministry of Finance, and what we are currently working with are some aids which include grants and donations from our partners,” he revealed.
Dr. Nyan further indicated, “We also need to enhance our laboratory capacity, improve our data collection systems, and ensure that our health workers are adequately trained and equipped. All of this requires financial investment.”
He also emphasized the importance of community involvement in controlling the outbreak, and asserted, “We need everyone to play a role in this fight. If you see someone with symptoms, encourage them to get tested and reach out to us for help.”
Nyan further thanked the various partners for their continuous support through aids and other gestures towards the fight against the Mpox virus, ensuring that Liberia and Liberians are saved.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nyan also announced that the country has detected the presence of the Monkeypox Virus Clade-IIb adding to the already Clade-IIa, making it two clade circulating within the country.
He added that health authorities are closely monitoring the situation to determine the virus’ severity and potential threat to public health despite the fact that there has been no death since the Mpox outbreak in the country.
It can be recalled that Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, was diagnosed in Liberia by health authorities early this year.
It is an infectious disease caused by the mpox virus and can be transmitted from animals to humans and through human-to-human contact.
Most people develop fever, aches, flu-like symptoms and tell-tale bumps. Some people can be infected with the virus without having any symptoms.
Liberia is one of the more than 120 countries that have reported cases of the virus since the global outbreak began in May 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
So far, 106,310 confirmed cases, including 234 confirmed deaths, have been reported globally but, another 1000 suspected deaths have been reported, almost all in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In the attempt to strengthen its surveillance, NPHIL then proposed US$500,000 to US$1.5 million to the government to start the fight against mpox for the period of six months but in the 2024 recast budget the government allocated just US$380,000.
