The Heat: Global response to Ebola

The Heat

The U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, steps up a global response to the Ebola outbreak. The death toll now tops 1,200 people in West Africa and there’s an urgent need for doctors, nurses and medical equipment.

It’s been described as a war-zone in West Africa. International relief organizations say the Ebola virus is spreading at an alarming rate and could take another six months to contain.

Just mentioning the word “Ebola” can create panic and fear among the people of Nigeria. Many simply don’t understand how the virus is spread.

Researchers suspect the first patient behind the current outbreak was a 2-year-old boy who fell ill and died last December in the village of Gueckedou in southeastern Guinea. From there the deadly virus spread to neighboring Sierra Leone, Liberia and eventually Nigeria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person or animal or with contaminated objects such as needles.

Symptoms include high fever, diarrhea, bleeding and vomiting. There is no cure and during this current outbreak, about 60 percent of those infected are dying.

On August 8th, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola epidemic a public health emergency of international concern. The group stated the Ebola outbreak appeared to be vastly underestimated and called for extraordinary measures.

The UN health agency is also urging Ebola-affected countries to start screening all passengers leaving international airports, sea ports and major ground crossings. The World Health organization says while the risk of transmitting the Ebola virus is low, every precaution must be taken.

Meantime, medical workers are putting themselves at risk in hope of saving lives.

This is the largest Ebola outbreak in history and the first to hit West Africa. The World Health Organization says it will take thousands of additional health workers to fight it. Dr. Steve Monroe is the Deputy Director of the U.S. National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. He spoke with us from Georgia.

Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health are hoping to begin clinical trials next month on one promising Ebola vaccine. Its accelerated timetable is a direct response to the Ebola outbreak that’s claimed more than 1,200 lives in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the director of the NIH’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The United Nations is urging the international community to send medical supplies and personnel to West Africa to fight the deadly Ebola Outbreak.
Ted Alemayhu is the founder and Executive Chairman of U.S. Doctors for Africa. He joined us from California. Colonel Thomas Dempsey is an Assistant Professor and Academic Chair at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.