The Heat: Containing the Ebola epidemic

The Heat

Ebola

The Ebola epidemic continues with more than 930 people dead and more cases being reported every day. Can it be contained? Or could it become a global health crisis?

The Ebola epidemic broke-out in West Africa early this year. The disease continues to spread out of control with the death toll rising every day.
So far, it has largely been contained in West Africa but fears are growing that it could become a global health emergency, not just regional.

The first cases are showing up in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. With no vaccine and no cure, the outlook for getting the crisis under control looks grim.
CCTV’s John Gilmore reports.

One of the hardest hit countries is Sierra Leone. Its Foreign Minister, Dr. Samura Kamara, was in Washington for the U.S.-Africa Leaders summit earlier this week. He shared his thoughts on how the Ebola crisis is impacting his country.

Fighting the disease is posing a huge challenge for health care workers. The International Red Cross is helping to co-ordinate that effort on the front lines in West Africa. From Geneva, we were joined by Benoit Carpentier, the Senior Communications Officer with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

Doctor Stephen Morse is the director of the infectious disease program at Columbia University Medical Center. He spoke to us from New York. Franklin Ekechikwu joined us in D.C. He is the former director of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization of America.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota we were joined by Dr. Thomas Cairns. He fell ill with Ebola like symptoms while working in Africa during the 1970’s and survived.