Church in Senegal calls for calm, prudence after first Ebola case

(Vatican Radio) The Catholic Church in Dakar, Senegal, has urged all Senegalese to be calm, vigilant and prudent in the face of the Ebola virus. The Church issued a pastoral letter on Saturday, after the first case of Ebola in the country was confirmed on Friday, making Senegal the fifth West African country to be affected by the virus.

The letter, signed by the archdiocese’s vicar general, Fr Alphonse Seck, calls for general calm in the population and is asking parish priests, as well as all religious working within the health system and with various movements, to make known the symptoms and treatment for Ebola, as well as ways to avoid contracting the disease.

“Let us be vigilant together and let us not give in to panic,” the letter urges.

The letter asks that this information be communicated in the various national and local languages to ensure that the information is as clear as possible and to minimize rumours and superstition. Priests and religious are also asked to post a document in parishes and community centres, produced by Senegal’s Ministry of Health, which outlines the recommended public safety measures.

The main recommendations of the Ministry of Health, in six points, include: avoid areas struck by the virus; wash your hands frequently; avoid eating wild game; avoid contact with infected persons; avoid contact with the corpses of those who have died from the virus; respect the safety measures for medical personnel.

The local Church congratulated the federal government for its transparency in informing the population about the first case of Ebola and encouraged it in its efforts to control the spread of the virus.

The letter concludes with an invitation for all to pray that God spare Senegal and all countries affected by this deadly virus, followed by a prayer for the intercession of Our Lady of Popenguine, also known as Our Lady of Deliverance.