Epilogue

From the 13th of August until the 2nd September I wrote 21 blogs to raise awareness about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, particularly Liberia - one for each day of the incubation period of the virus.  In the time I have been writing, the number of cases of Ebola in Liberia, and the number of deaths, has more than doubled.  There is a greater need than ever for people all over the world to join governments of affected countries, international organisations and NGOs in taking action against Ebola.

The Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Red Cross Societies are among the best placed organisations to make a difference, as they are known and respected by local people, and supported by hundreds of local volunteers who work in their own communities.  They have put the majority of their usual programmes on hold in order to throw everything that they have got at the fight against Ebola, providing vital personal protective equipment for medical workers, conducting safe burials, raising awareness and changing attitudes towards Ebola in their communities.

If you have appreciated reading this blog, please can I urge you to join others who have gone a step further and made a donation to the Red Cross' Ebola outbreak appeal - simply CLICK HERE to link to my online giving page where you can make a donation easily and securely online.

Thank you so much for reading, for caring, and for giving.

Rachel Ayrton

A Liberian point of view

Something that I have noticed while monitoring the Ebola outbreak in Liberia for the last 21 days, is that for all the ‘experts’ who are called upon to make public statements and reports, there is a distinct lack of West African voices.  People like me can make suppositions about what everyday life is like for people living with the threat and reality of Ebola in Liberia, but we can only truly understand this by listening to Liberians who are experiencing the outbreak first hand.

I am honoured that in this my 21^st and final blog post my friend Morris Saysay has agreed for me to interview him, to give us all an insight into everyday life in Liberia at present.  Morris is married and lives in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia.  He works as an Operations Coordinator for an international NGO and in addition he is studying sociology and management at the University of Liberia.  He has asked me to emphasise that his answers to my questions are his personal opinions, and they do not reflect on the organisation he works for.

How has the Ebola outbreak affected life for people in Monrovia?

"The Ebola outbreak has affected every aspect of life for people in Monrovia and other parts of the country.  There is no free movement, the healthcare system has broken down, economic hardship has increased greatly and many people are living in fear."

"Currently, there is a state of emergency being enforced by the joint security and there is a curfew that runs from 9pm – 6am.  Military and other security personnel are deployed around quarantined communities and counties.  There is no free movement.   While many welcome the idea of quarantining infested communities to prevent the spread of the disease, there is criticism among many about the ways in which state security are handling the situation.  There have been complaints of mistreatment by security personnel in quarantined communities, especially West Point where there was a report of a riot between security forces and community dwellers that led to several people getting wounded and the death of a 15 years old boy who was shot and later died in the Redemption Hospital."

"Government, companies and humanitarian organizations have asked their staff to stay home. They are currently operating with essential staff only.  The problem here is that most of the people who work for government or at these organizations are services contractors who are paid on a daily basis. Sending them home means that they are left with no sources of income."

"The already poor healthcare system of our country is overwhelmed by the outbreak.  Doctors and nurses are not attending to patients visiting the hospital for fear of being infected.  At a result, many people have died from curable diseases.  There are instances where women in labour pain were not attended to and they lost both their lives and their babies’.  Government has set up a few treatment centers within Monrovia and other parts of the country but there are reports that those centers are filled due to influx.  For the fear of health workers not disposing of medical waste properly which might spread the virus, community dwellers are not allowing the Ministry of Health to set up Ebola treatment centers within their communities.  The Liberia National Red Cross, MSF and Samaritan Purse are all helping to boost government effort."

"The Ebola outbreak has increased the suffering of the Liberian people."

"Most Liberians are self-employed, they are either farmers or petty traders.  They produce vegetables and other agricultural products outside of Montserrado county, transport their goods to Monrovia and after selling their products, they buy rice and other goods that they don’t produce and take it back to their family.  This is a daily routine.  Now there is no free movement - you can imagine the difficulties lots of Liberians are going through."

What are people saying about Ebola?

"What we are hearing from many quarters in Monrovia is that government lacks the capacity to combat this disease.  And besides, there is a lack of trust in the government and citizens are afraid that any resource that comes in will not be used for the intended purpose.  Others believe that the government is hiding something.  They don’t believe that it is because of the Ebola outbreak that the government declares a state of emergency and deploy military in Monrovia and other parts of the country."

Have you been affected directly in any way?

"Yes the situation has affected my day to day movement, both my study and business."

People say that fear and denial are the biggest barriers to containing the outbreak. Do you agree?

"Yes I do agree fear and denial are the biggest barriers to containing the outbreak.  During the early stage of the outbreak, major deaths occurred amongst healthcare workers due to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).  At a result, doctors and nurses abandoned the hospitals for fear of their lives.  Up to present, many have not returned to work.  Because many people do not trust the government and are wary of corrupt government officials going with impunity, they think that this is a scam from government to misuse tax payers’ money.  There are still some, because of their faith or traditional belief, that deny the virus exists."

What do you think is needed to bring the outbreak under control?

"In my opinion, vigorous awareness is the first step.  And this should be led by humanitarian organizations supported by the government.  Reason being, the people lack trust in the government.  There are credible humanitarian organizations that have gained the trust of the people over the years; they will be more easily accepted by the communities than government workers.  If possible, in addition to testing the body temperature of people traveling from one county to another at checkpoints and borders, fast track testing centers should be set up in communities and hospitals to test and quickly isolate those with Ebola cases from those with other illness instead of treating every illness as a suspected Ebola case.  Health workers should be provided with personal protective equipment, logistics and properly trained in standard operating procedures with regards to how to handle suspected Ebola patients.  Lastly, the country needs the help of volunteer doctors from the international community to help fight this outbreak."

If you would like to support Liberia to fight Ebola, CLICK HERE to visit my fundraising page and donate to the Red Cross Ebola Outbreak Appeal.  This is a quick and effective way of getting money quickly to the people who need it most.  Thank you for your help.

Standing in the gap

“Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.”

If you were to ask me would I be willing to die to save someone else’s life, I would probably say it depends.  If it was a child, someone innocent who has had little opportunity to live, maybe I would.  If it was someone I loved very much, then probably.  If it was someone with an exceptional ability make a difference in the world, perhaps.  I would either act on instinct born of love or compassion, or I would have to make an assessment of whether I thought their life counted for more than mine – taking into account my desire not to inflict grief on the people I care about.

There are people who regularly put their lives at risk for the sake of other people whose value they never assess – mountain rescue, life boat crew, fire fighters, the military … this kind of bravery, where a person puts him- or herself between another person and harm, is an awesome thing.  Of the many challenges health workers face and sacrifices they have to make, usually dying for their patients’ sake is not on the list.

In Liberia alone, 147 health workers have contracted Ebola (confirmed, probable and suspected), and 95 have died.  That is between 8 and 9% of the total number of cases and deaths in Liberia.

These are people who would have been highly unlikely to contract Ebola outside work, and who by providing good medical support increase Ebola patients’ chances of survival by 10-15%.  They are also people with homes and families who rely on them, who go to work to do a job as many of us do, in order to provide as well as in order to do good.  By helping to give their patients the best possible chance of survival they have paid the ultimate price.  Barrier nursing techniques could prevent infection of health workers, but where the right equipment or procedures are not available, or where the health worker did not know it was Ebola they were dealing with, some have put caring for their patients above their own safety.

I am thankful that there are people like that in the world.

The Red Cross are providing more protective equipment in order to protect health care workers in Liberia and elsewhere in West Africa.  You can help them – click here to donate to my campaign supporting the Red Cross’ Ebola outbreak appeal.