From WHO to Africa: A Million Masks Arrive in Addis Ababa

ADDIS ABEBA – The first delivery of medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) has landed in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

The cargo critical personal protective equipment such as masks, goggles, gloves for African health workers, as well as ventilators, says WHO Africa region.

It will be distributed to Djibouti, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Tanzania and then on from those hubs to “as many countries as possible”, Reuters news agency quotes WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs as saying.

There’s hope that these supplies have come just in time, according to John Nkengasong, Director of Africa for the Centre for Disease Contol (ACDC).

“The medical supplies are timely as the continent still has a window of opportunity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in a statement.

The Cargo was brought in by Ethiopian Airlines, which has suffered from severe losses in passenger numbers.

Fitsum Abadi, the company’s managing director of cargo and logistics services is quoted as saying to AFP news agency that Ethiopian Airlines plan to play a “major role” in Africa’s fight against coronavirus as cargo goes through the Bole International Airport transport hub to at least the end of May.

– Agencies

IMAGE: The medical gears arriving at Addis Ababa Bole International Airpot today [Photo WHO Africa]