Nigeria’s Mikel Obi is one of the players in
the list of 11 top world football stars selected
for a new campaign against the deadly Ebola
virus.
Dubbed the “11 against Ebola” campaign,
Mikel joins other world stars like Christiano
Ronaldo and Brazilian prodigy Neymar to help
spread messages that would increase
awareness of the disease and by that reduce
the spread.
According to a statement of FIFA’s website on
Monday, the selected players are joining
forces with the Confederation of African
Football, CAF, and health experts to raise
global awareness and promote simple
preventative measures in the fight against
Ebola.
According to FIFA’s President, Sepp Blatter,
the popularity of football and indeed the
selected players can give the world a crucial
platform to drive home the message about
Ebola.
“The popularity of football gives us a unique
platform to reach all communities.
We hope
that football can play its part and that this
campaign against Ebola can make a real
difference on the ground as the world comes
together to fight the virus and to help those
living in affected communities.
In a similar light, FIFA’s Chief Medical
Officer, Jiří Dvořák, said exploring the power
of football is a veritable tool in the fight
against the deadly disease.
“We doctors have experienced the power of
football when it comes to prevention and
health, while successfully implementing the
‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme in 15 African
countries as part of the medical legacy of 2010
FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Now we are
using the same system to tackle Ebola, by
presenting simple educational messages to
prevent the spread of the disease through the
voices of football stars – ‘When football talks,
everybody listens’,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization,
WHO, as of November 9, a total of 14,098
confirmed, probable and suspected cases of
Ebola virus disease have been reported in six
countries. There have been 5,160 deaths with
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone witnessing
the highest case.
- Premium times
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