Why is the Ebola crisis TV appeal so significant?
The Disasters Emergency Committee is launching a major television appeal over the Ebola crisis, the first time it is calling for donations in response to a disease outbreak.
.jpg)
The DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal is said to be “unprecedented”, as the committee has never run an appeal in response to the spread of disease in its 50 year history.
The committee, made up of 13 of the UK’s major aid charities, said it took the decision as the effects of the killer virus threaten to become “a humanitarian catastrophe”.
The UK’s main broadcasters, including Channel 4, are due to screen the appeal tomorrow.
DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said: “This appeal is completely unprecedented and that is a sign of just how serious the situation in West Africa has become. In its 50 year history the DEC has launched appeals for humanitarian disasters caused by floods, famines, earthquake, typhoons, and countless conflicts.
We are seeing a disease create not just a medical crisis but a humanitarian emergency. Saleh Saeed
“While many chronic diseases cause untold suffering in poorer countries, the worst acute outbreaks of deadly diseases such as measles or cholera have usually occurred in the wake of another type of disaster. In West Africa today we are seeing a disease create not just a medical crisis but a humanitarian emergency. Without urgent action to stop the spread of Ebola and to help those affected by the crisis, parts of West Africa face catastrophe within 60 days.”
According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 5,000 people have died and more than 10,000 have been infected with Ebola since the start of the year.
To make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900 or donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.