Seychellois quarantined as measure against ebola |01 August 2014

• No cause for panic, says Ministry of Health

As a preventive measure against the ebola epidemy currently affecting the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria where more than 600 people are reported to have died, an incoming traveller has been quarantined and put under observation.

This was announced by Health Commissioner Jude Gedeon in a press conference at the Ministry of Health yesterday afternoon.

The Seychellois national, who returned from Liberia on Wednesday, has been placed under observation in an undisclosed local health facility.

The health commissioner has said that as a small country with limited resources, all preventive measures are being taken here to prevent the deadly virus from entering the country and to contain it if ever it arrives on our soil.
This may include airport control, observation and isolation.

He added that additional measures may be taken if necessary as the Ministry of Health already has a plan in place in case of any person suspected of carrying the ebola virus enters the country.

He added that the health authorities are closely following the health situation in the infected countries. At the same time, they are studying relevant and frequent reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) headquarters in Geneva.

However, Dr Gedeon has ensured that there is no cause for panic at this stage. Neither the WHO nor the local Ministry of Health has imposed any ban on travel to the infected areas, though they strongly recommend people not to do so. Travellers arriving from West Africa will also be monitored through what the Ministry of Health has called “a passive surveillance system”.

On his part, epidemiologist Dr Jastin Bibi has assured the population that to catch the ebola virus, one has to get direct physical contact with an infected person and that most people who are being infected are care givers working directly with the patients. He however insisted that we have to remain vigilant.
“We cannot let our guard down and we have to take all precautions to prevent the epidemy from entering the country,” he said.

During the past 48 hours other countries and organisations have taken measures to protect their citizens and personnel from the virus. Some countries are for example closing their borders with their infected neighbours, while the United Nations have evacuated its workers from contaminated areas.










International day for trafficking in persons

Seychelles remains committed to fighting human trafficking

Seychelles will continue to denounce the heinous crime of trafficking in persons and remains committed to the protection of its victims.

A press release from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Transport said this in a statement yesterday to mark the first international day of trafficking in persons celebrated on July 30.
 
Trafficking in persons, also referred to as modern day slavery, is a crime that crosses borders and spares no country and affects an estimated 2.5 million people at any given time.

Marking the day, secretary general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon noted that “This first World Day against Trafficking in Persons is a call to action to end this crime and give hope to the victims, who often live unrecognised among us. To stop the traffickers, we must sever funding pipelines and seize assets.
 I urge all countries to ratify and fully implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons.”

Seychelles, being a party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, has continued to make significant strides in combatting trafficking in persons. In April 2014, the ‘Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2014’ was enacted, following which the National Coordinating Committee on Trafficking in Persons composed of relevant governmental and non-governmental stakeholders was established.

A National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons is also in the process of being operationalised by the committee. Training and education sessions have also been held with front-line officers, NGOs and CSOs, members of the media, as well as members of the National Assembly.

In view of having a constructive dialogue with UN Human Rights Mechanisms in order to identify and address challenges on the issue of trafficking in persons, Seychelles hosted the Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, in January 2014. In presenting her report on Seychelles to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014, the Rapporteur commended the strong political will and efforts made by Seychelles towards combatting trafficking in persons.

Marking the international day on trafficking in persons, Ms Ezeilo said: “This is a unique opportunity not only to re-affirm the political and economic will to fight this heinous crime, but also to take firm actions towards its eradication. It’s a day to give the victims back their dignity - a basic and fundamental human right.”