Caribbean countries write to AIBA on Ebola

Caribbean countries attending the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Congress have written to the world governing body requesting information on what precautions are being implemented to minimise the possibility of the dreaded disease being spread there.

The AIBA Congress is scheduled for November 12 to 14 in Jeju Island, South Korea. There are 196 countries affiliated to AIBA, the governing body for amateur boxing in the world.

President of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association, Steve Ninvalle, said that he was contacted by St Lucian president David `Shakes’ Christopher who is “equally concerned” about Ebola and the upcoming congress.

“It is my understanding that Barbados, through its secretary Kathy Harper Hall, has sent out a letter on behalf of the region to AIBA. The letter clearly requested information on measures to be put in place for the safety of delegates. I was contacted by my collogue from St. Lucia Mr. Christopher who, like all of us, is very concerned,” Ninvalle said.

West African countries Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are all affiliates, the hardest hit by the disease and have accounted for the majority of deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the death toll in the Ebola outbreak has risen to 4 546 out of 9 191 known cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person, such as urine, vomit, diarrhoea and faeces, and saliva.

Last week St. Lucia, Guyana and St. Vincent and the Grenadines placed restrictions on entry into the country of travellers from West African countries hit by the disease and Ninvalle said that a response from AIBA is being awaited before further steps are taken.