Communicating Health Risks: The Ebola Epidemic

Communicating health risks
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Letter to the editor: The Connecticut Post.
The Ebola epidemic
Since March this year, medical practitioners around the world have been put on high alert over the Ebola epidemic. The disease, whose origin is believed to be around the Ebola River in the Democratic republic of Congo, has adversely affected West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leon and Liberia. The Ebola virus has no cure. Ebola is one of the highly contagious diseases. The disease can easily spread through contact with affected people. At first, there were only a few cases of Ebola. However, the few cases of Ebola that were reported in these countries have transformed into a massive epidemic. The World Health Organization has acknowledged that spread of Ebola is at alarming levels. The disease is not a “West African” problem anymore; it is a global pandemic that needs collective participation form health experts around the world.
One of the worrying facts about the current Ebola epidemic is the fact that about 30 % of the Ebola casualties are health workers who are assisting patients in hospital. Due to lack of proper protective gears, most of the health workers have been infected with the Ebola virus. Therefore, most of the health workers are at high risks of infection. Most of the countries affected with the diseases are poor. There is also the problem of inadequate infrastructure to control the spread of Ebola. There are few health facilities and workers to counter the spread of Ebola. Likewise, most of the health facilities are underdeveloped and lack the capacity to fight Ebola effectively.
Although the international community has responded to the Ebola attack, the response has been ineffective. The current Ebola epidemic requires more than financial support. The international community needs to send more doctors and nurses to the affected countries. In addition, developed countries like the United States, the UK and China should channel more funds in finding a cure and a vaccine for Ebola. There is a green light in finding a cure for Ebola since recently; two American doctors have fully recovered from infection of the virus. What is disappointing is the pace at which developed countries are funding mass production of the Ebola drugs that seem to cure the diseases. It is sad to see many West Africans die in the isolation camps and quarantine areas in the “spirit of fighting the Ebola virus”. The international community should take full responsibility of the Ebola epidemic and deploy adequate medical personnel across the affected areas. More funds should be channeled to support other projects related in fighting the diseases. The affected people need drugs, water and other sanitation products to successfully control the spread of Ebola.
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