45°
The shipment contains antibiotics, medical supplies and desperately needed safety equipment that offer the only protection for health workers fighting the outbreak, including 15,000 pairs of gloves and nearly 10,000 protective masks, AmeriCares announced.
“While there is no cure for Ebola, personal protective equipment including gloves and masks can help prevent transmission,” said Garrett Ingoglia, AmeriCares vice president of Emergency Response. “Safety equipment is the only way to protect health workers on the front lines of the epidemic.”
The AmeriCares shipment is headed to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where it will join a humanitarian airlift organized by Airlink, a disaster response organization that links non-governmental organizations with airlines for air and cargo transportation. The relief flight to Monrovia is scheduled to leave JFK on Tuesday, Aug. 26, carrying 15,000 pounds of relief supplies from five organizations, including AmeriCares.
More than 1,400 people have reportedly died from the outbreak – the deadliest on record – including 129 health workers, and the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.
The humanitarian flight is AmeriCares sixth shipment to West Africa since the virus first appeared in Guinea last winter and more aid deliveries are planned.
AmeriCares has been aiding survivors of natural disasters, political conflict and extreme poverty around the world for more than 30 years, saving lives and restoring health and hope.
To donate go to americares.org/fightebola or call 1-800-486-HELP.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Greenwich and receive free news updates.
