Unprecedented: Ebola Outbreak 2014
This post has been a long time coming, to be honest I have been avoiding writing it. Four years ago, I made my first visit to my parent's home country Liberia. It was an interesting experience that I chronicled in my previous blog posts. If you click on the Liberia label, you can read all about my adventures in Liberia. During my time in Liberia, I saw a country that was emerging from a devastating civil war. It was a country with a bright future ahead of it. Never would I imagine that a few years later, the country would be facing another crisis.
Last December, the first case of Ebola was reported in Guinea. Nearly one year later, there has been a reported 8,399 cases (as of October 10) that has affected seven nations: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, United States, Spain, Senegal and Nigeria. The majority of these cases are in three West African countries: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Out of the reported cases 4,033 people have lost their lives to the Ebola virus. More than half of the lives lost to Ebola have occurred in Liberia.
The world is dealing with the largest Ebola epidemic in history. For the first time, Ebola has moved to densely populated areas. Areas that have never been in contact with the virus before. To make matters worse, it has impacted areas that have been devastated by years of civil unrest. They do not have facilities in place to treat people who have contracted the disease. What these countries need is trained health care professionals but that is asking a lot. Most people who have gotten Ebola were health care workers or family members that were taking care of the victims.
We are living in trying times. Only thing I can do now is pray. Pray for all the souls we lost to Ebola. Pray for all those putting their lives in danger to treat people suffering from Ebola. Pray that we are able to contain the virus. Pray that those countries who suffered the most are able to bounce back. Today, I wonder what actions I can take to prevent the virus from spreading more.
It has come to my attention that most people are ignorant about Ebola. I believe it was this ignorance that helped the virus to spread and has caused wide spread panic across the globe. Ebola virus is not an airborne disease. You can not get Ebola from food or through water. Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood or body fluids of person who has Ebola. It can also be spread through contaminated objects like needles and syringes. It can also spread through an infected animal. Once someone recovers from Ebola, they are no longer able to spread the virus.
Make sure you check out the CDC website to learn more about Ebola and Ebola Outbreak 2014. The UNICEF website is also a great resource as well.
Last December, the first case of Ebola was reported in Guinea. Nearly one year later, there has been a reported 8,399 cases (as of October 10) that has affected seven nations: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, United States, Spain, Senegal and Nigeria. The majority of these cases are in three West African countries: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Out of the reported cases 4,033 people have lost their lives to the Ebola virus. More than half of the lives lost to Ebola have occurred in Liberia.
The world is dealing with the largest Ebola epidemic in history. For the first time, Ebola has moved to densely populated areas. Areas that have never been in contact with the virus before. To make matters worse, it has impacted areas that have been devastated by years of civil unrest. They do not have facilities in place to treat people who have contracted the disease. What these countries need is trained health care professionals but that is asking a lot. Most people who have gotten Ebola were health care workers or family members that were taking care of the victims.
We are living in trying times. Only thing I can do now is pray. Pray for all the souls we lost to Ebola. Pray for all those putting their lives in danger to treat people suffering from Ebola. Pray that we are able to contain the virus. Pray that those countries who suffered the most are able to bounce back. Today, I wonder what actions I can take to prevent the virus from spreading more.
It has come to my attention that most people are ignorant about Ebola. I believe it was this ignorance that helped the virus to spread and has caused wide spread panic across the globe. Ebola virus is not an airborne disease. You can not get Ebola from food or through water. Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood or body fluids of person who has Ebola. It can also be spread through contaminated objects like needles and syringes. It can also spread through an infected animal. Once someone recovers from Ebola, they are no longer able to spread the virus.
Make sure you check out the CDC website to learn more about Ebola and Ebola Outbreak 2014. The UNICEF website is also a great resource as well.
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