Christians urged to pray against Ebola

The Head Pastor of the Victory Bible Church International in Cape Coast, the Reverend Richard Ampadu-Duku, has described the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) as a “deadly pestilent walking on the dark corridors of West Africa”.

He has, therefore, urged Christians to pray for God’s intervention.

Rev. Ampadu-Duku said just at the time that the star of Africa was about to shine, the deadly disease surfaced to scare investors, especially, Africans in the Diaspora, who desire to return home to support the continent’s development.

“But God will deliver Africa,” he said. “Africa will come out victorious because God is our shield, deliverer, and stronghold. Ebola will not deface our part of the world”.

Rev. Ampadu-Duku said he believed that Africa had set its hope on God, and called on all Christians to seek God’s face and focus their prayers on total healing for Africa.

He took the opportunity to educate the congregation on the disease and asked all Ghanaians to take the necessary precautions prescribed by the Ministry of Health, alongside prayers.

The Assistant Pastor of the church, Rev. Francis William Aubyn, led the congregation to pray fervently for African countries affected by the disease, during which declarations for healing were made.

Other churches in the Cape Coast Metropolis also prayed for God’s intervention in the affected countries as well as prevention of an outbreak in Ghana.

However, despite advice against handshakes, members of the various churches did not hesitate to shake hands with each other. But some of them, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed, used hand sanitizers after greeting.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).

Since there is no known cure for the disease, the only remedy is for the people to be alert and take precautions.

The disease kills up to 90 percent of infected persons. Several cases have been reported in the recent outbreak in West Africa this year, in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, resulting in the death of 1,229 people as of Tuesday, August 19.

Fever, body aches, and sore throat as that of malaria and typhoid, are seen at the initial stages of Ebola infection.

As the infection progresses, patients experience severe internal bleeding with blood leaking out of their mouth, eyes, ears and the vessels.

Symptoms can begin on four to nine hours or days after infection and the incubation can last up to 21 days.

Ebola cannot spread through the air like flu. It is fragile in nature so can be checked with soap solution, detergents and disinfectants.

Getting an infection requires direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, sweat, and semen.