More News on Ebola

As schools re open today in Liberia after six months of indefinite closure due to the Ebola crisis students are thankful for being alive to witness this reopening, however some are still fearful of the possibility of contacting the virus.

Measures have been put in place by the government to ensure safety in the various schools.
Hand washing with chlorinated water  will be observed routinely as the students arrive at school in the morning.
Thermometers have also been made available to check the temperature of the pupils and students as they arrive in the morning.
A reduction in the number of students per class is being advocated. School authorities have been advised to keep the number at 45 to 50 students per class, so as to reduce the potential of contact with body fluids which can potentiate transmission of an infection and then another outbreak.
3 new cases were recorded last week in Liberia. This is good news, it seems the country is finally getting a grip on the virus.

In Sierra Leone however, cases seem to have spiked in the last two weeks, with 76 new cases reported last week and 80 in the week preceding the last.
Residents of Freetown in the capital city of Sierra Leone have been quarantined following a report that 5 new cases have been traced to the area.

Attacks against Ebola health workers and clinics have continued in Guinea. Red Cross facilities were attacked in Dabola and Faranah last week. Also vehicles belonging to health workers were burned down. 69 cases were reported last week, which is an increase from the 39 reported in the week before the last.

It's been tough and the battle still continues.
In a recent interview with a top health worker from Liberia it was said that  two of the reported outbreaks this year in two of the affected countries was due to traditional burial practices: washing, grooming and kissing of the dead. There have been reported cases of people retrieving their dead from Ebola treatment centers so as to  bury them in the traditional way.
Ebola corpses have been discovered to be highly infectious. It was discovered by scientists that Ebola patients become most infectious one week before they die. Hence, these practices have to be STOPPED if we want to achieve the zero cases of Ebola in 60 days (starting February 15), which was set by the government of the three affected countries.
The lack of portable drinking water is also contributing to the spread of the dangerous virus. People in some areas are said to bathe into,wash into and drink from the same river. This makes it very easy for a single individual to transmit the virus to an entire village.
It was further said in the interview that medical supplies are still very much needed by the three countries in order to stop the virus completely.
Personal protective equipments, gloves,bleach and face masks to mention a few.

We seem to be making progress, however officials from Doctors without border (MSF) have said " this is not the time to rest ."
As we continue to fight the virus, each new case should be viewed as a threat to the achievement of zero cases of Ebola.