The War Against EBOLA is Real

8/11/2019 The War Against EBOLA is Real

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The Man Who Will Lead the War on Ebola.

Major General Darryl A. Williams


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The man tapped by President Obama to lead the war on Ebola is a long-timeArmy leader who has experience on the battlefield, in Africa, and the medicalarena. Major General Darryl A. Williams just took over command of U.S. Army

Africa, in June, and on Tuesday it was announced that he would set up acommand center in Monrovia, Liberia, and oversee as many as 3,000 military

personnel who will help with training new health workers and setting up newfacilities.

"He just arrived today and is now on the ground in Liberia," Obama said ofWilliams and "Operation Unified Assistance" on Tuesday. "And our forces aregoing to bring their expertise in command and control, in logistics, inengineering."

After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1983,Williams became a field artillery officer and platoon leader based in Scheinfurt,Germany, according to his Army bio. He then had assignments in Fort Bragg,

North Carolina, before being deployed to the Persian Gulf for Desert Shield andDesert Storm in the early 1990.

He later earned a masters degree in leadership development at West Point, andserved as a tactical officer for the U.S. Corps of Cadets. And from 1998 to 2000,under Bill Clinton, he served as Army Aide to the President of the United States.

After more leadership positions both stateside and in Germany, he served as thedeputy director for "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness," and served as the AssistantSurgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition a role in which he oversawprograms geared towards the well-being of soldiers returning from battle.

~ NBC News


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The War Against EBOLA Is Real!

I appreciate the suspicion and respect the concerns expressed by some of my

respected colleagues about Americas decision to engage in the War Against

EBOLA. However, I suspect that the U.S. decision to get involved in helping to

find a viable and reliable fix for this deadly virus which is poised to annihilate

massive populations of ECOWAS member nations is both humanitarian and

strategic.

The United States came to a difficult but rightful decision that the African nations

currently dealing with the outbreak do not have the appropriate resources

including; robust, resilient healthcare systems, visionary leadership, financialresources, adequate human capital (medical staff trained in dealing with

hemorrhagic fever like EBOLA) etc. The Obamaadministration has also come to

accept the fact that any reliable solution must address issues like culture, belief

systems and traditional religious practices of the people in the region.

On July 30, 2014, I shared my concerns with certain individuals and

organizations in a message titled True leadership requires ACTION!. I stated

quite succinctly that if nothing is done by organizations like the CDC &

governments like the U.S.A. to address this issue, it will quickly become a global

problem like the Bubonic Plague. For fear of losing valuable lives, I reached outto certain U.S. government officials and other noteworthy journalists &

humanitarians requesting their support and intervention. I also reached out to

certain folks in the Liberian government; expressing my opinion that sometimes

appealing to those with expertise is the best and only viable option.


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I recommended that they make a PUBLIC APPEAL to The United States Center

for Disease Control (CDC) and similar international health organizations for

support: (logistics, financial, manpower, etc.).

When I was told by certain individuals that the Liberian government had already

done so in private, I responded that In politics, there are certain issues whichshould be addressed through private channels and others which require public

overtures. Seeking assistance in this kind of crisis is one of those "PUBLIC"

issues.

An astute public administrator would (should) know which stance is applicable.

This is evidenced by the "PUBLIC" stance of UK Foreign Secretary Philip

Hammond when he said on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 that the Ebola outbreak in

West Africa is "a threat" the UK must respond to - and announced that he will

chair an emergency Cobra meeting about the virus on Wednesday.

(http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28558516 ).

I also informed them that the following information is PUBLIC:

* Situation map of the outbreak as of 20 July 2014

* Location West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone)

* Casualties:

Guinea: 460 cases, 339 deaths

Liberia: 329 cases, 156 deaths

Sierra Leone: 533 cases, 233 deaths

Nigeria: 1 case (a Liberian visiting Lagos), 1 death[1]

* Total mortality: 729 deaths / 1323+ cases (55.1%)~ Source: Wikipedia:

UPDATE: September 13, 2014

* Situation map of the outbreak as of 13 September 2014

* Location West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal)

* Casualties:

Guinea: 936 cases, 595 deaths

Liberia: 2,671 cases, 1,424 deaths

Sierra Leone: 1,631 cases, 511 deaths

Nigeria: 21 cases, 8 deaths

Senegal: 1 case / 0 deaths

* Total mortality: 5,232 cases / 2,630 deaths (55.1%)

~ Source: Wikipedia:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_epidemic_in_West_Africa )


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Note:The number of dead & dying on July 20, 2014 has almost quadrupled by

September 13, 2014.

The global community is working through organizations like The African

Development Bank (ADB), The World Health Organization(WHO),The Center for

Disease Control (CDC), Doctors Without Borders/ Mdecins SansFrontiresand other local & international AID organizations because of the

alarming rate at which the disease is killing the people of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra

Leone, Senegal and Nigeria.

If this outbreak is not quickly contained in the region, it could spread at a fast

pace in a more inter-connected world since the Bubonic Plague which began in

1347. The developed world is moving quickly to ensure that this deadly disease

does not find its way onto their doorsteps. Countries like The United Statesand

The United Kingdom may be advanced, but they cannot afford it and they

definitely do not wish to see their healthcare systems become overwhelmed bypeople fleeing the crisis and coming onto their shores for medical attention.

The leadership of the most powerful nation on the planet is conducting business

in its own interest, hence the need to understand and act promptly to bring a swift

end to this deadly disease for the sake of the whole world!

It is also quite refreshing to learn that U.S. Federal Chief Information Officer

(CIO),Steven VanRoekelhas decided to join the fight against EBOLA in his new

role as Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) with the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID).The leadership of the most powerful nation on the planet is conducting business

in its own interest, hence the need to understand and act promptly to bring a swift

end to this deadly disease for the sake of the whole world!

I wish Major General Darryl A. Williams, Mr. Steven VanRoekeland the entire

global EBOLA response team the best as they strive to work with the nations

which have been devastated by the deadly EBOLA virus. They really have

their work cut out.

~ Preston Williams III

M.Sc. CPA CIS SSM

Senior Partner & CIO

GBC Global Services

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonw

The War Against EBOLA is Real

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