The Ebola virus is one of the deadliest diseases known to man, with a fatality rate of up to 90%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Unfortunately, Africa is in the midst of the worst ever Ebola epidemic, and the virus is spreading to previously unaffected areas like Sierra Leone. As this article from Reuters (via NBCNews.com) reports, Ebola first broke out in the West African state back in May, claiming the lives of five citizens:
Five people have died in Sierra Leone’s first confirmed outbreak of Ebola virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of up to 90 percent, has killed more than 100 people in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia since March in the first deadly appearance of the disease in West Africa.
In a statement posted on its website, the WHO said the outbreak in Sierra Leone was located in an area along the country’s border with Guinea’s Guéckédou prefecture, where some of the earliest cases of the disease were recorded.
“Preliminary information received from the field indicates that one laboratory-confirmed case and five community deaths have been reported from Koindu chiefdom,” it said.
Since then, another 486 people have perished from this lethal disease, and many people worry about the plight of Sierra Leone’s child population, which is more susceptible given their weaker immune systems.
Fortunately, charitable institutions like the Bo Children’s Hospital Foundation are committed to fighting the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone. The Foundation was formed to continue the efforts of the Rotary Club of Turramurra, and its hospital—the second of its kind in the country—already has the infrastructure to build an isolation ward, expand its laboratory and provide assistance in handling infectious diseases.
Of course, the hospital needs ample funds to make these goals a reality. While funded by donations from Australia through the Rotary Club and the Foundation, the hospital is now financing 40% of its operational costs through funds raised locally. That’s why the facility has hired Polkadot PR, one of the leading Sydney PR companies, to help promote its good work and convince the community to offer more financial assistance.
As you can see, charities and other worthwhile causes would do well to hire a Sydney PR company to bolster their fundraising efforts. With the help of press relations experts, their project can gain broader media coverage, allowing them to reach previously untapped but willing donors.
(Source: Five Dead in Sierra Leone’s First Ebola Outbreak, NBCNews.com, May 26, 2014)
