Twenty-one days: the maximum incubation period for Ebola Virus Disease. That means if you have come into contact with the virus but have no symptoms by day twenty two, then you are clear.

Forty two days: the incubation period x 2, and the period it takes for a country to be officially considered clear of the disease. If no new suspected cases are reported for 42 days, the outbreak is over.

Today, Wednesday 13th August 2014, is a big day for me ... it has been twenty-one days since I left Liberia, and for the first time I know beyond a doubt that I am Ebola-free. Not everyone is so lucky. In my first 14 days of incubation in the comfort of my Southampton home, the number of cases in Liberia more than doubled from 249 on 23rd July to 554 on 6th August. Of these cases, 294 people had died. The country is in a state of emergency, schools are closed, roads are blocked, communities are quarantined and attempts to bring the disease under control are being crippled by widespread fear.

So for another 21 days I am going to write a blog post every day to raise awareness of the grim challenge confronting Liberians, and to raise funds to support the Red Cross, who I work with collaboratively in my normal life as a PhD social researcher, and who are at the front line fighting the worst known Ebola outbreak in history.

Tuesday 2 September 2014

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 21st 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.
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