Sierra Leone president: We will always remember Israel’s support against ebola

Sierra Leone’s president thanked his counterpart in Jerusalem, Reuven Rivlin, for Israel’s significant help in containing the ebola outbreak several years ago. 

President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone expressed gratitude to Israel for helping his country fight the ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016.

“I must use this opportunity to thank you, the government and the people of Israel, for the support that was provided to us during one of the most difficult moments in our history – the fight against ebola,” Bai Koroma told Rivlin during a meeting in Jerusalem Thursday.

During the height of the ebola outbreak in 2014, Israel’s foreign ministry authorized its MASHAV division (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation) to send three mobile emergency clinics to the region, staffed with medical experts who trained local practitioners to adopt the most effective methods in containing the spread of the virus. Israel also provided Sierra Leone with a plethora of emergency equipment.

“It was a moment others chose to turn their backs and isolate us, but Israel provided us with support – with financial, technical support – and we had people that volunteered to go out and assist us,” Bai Koroma stated.

“That we have put the Ebola behind us is because of the support of (Israel), support that will always be remembered by Sierra Leoneans,” he added.