As Ebola recedes in West Africa, the
fear of vaccine preventable diseases such as Measles looms over the region.
The disruption of the routine vaccination services caused by the Ebola crisis may have left about 75% of the under five children in the 3 affected countries un vaccinated for about 8 months now.
It's been projected that over 1 million under five children in the region may be un vaccinated by this summer.
Hence about 227,000 cases of measles may be recorded and between 2000 and 16000 measles related deaths may occur.
The public health implications of this is dire, as it may result in more deaths than even the Ebola virus caused.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/03/after-ebola-measles-may-follow/
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/03/16/study-measles-threat-looms-in-west-africa-following-ebola-outbreak/
The Economic impact of the Ebola crisis may be felt across the West African region and not just in the three affected nations.
According to the UN Development Group it's been projected that the West African region may loose a minimum average of $ 3.6 billion per year between years 2014 and 2017 due to the Ebola crisis. This loss may be due to border closures, decreased tourism and direct foreign investments and flight cancellations to mention a few.
Per capital income of the residents has also been projected to fall by $18 per year between 2015 and 2017.
Poverty rates have gone up in neighbouring Cote D 'ivoire and Senegal.
There is also a reported increase in food insecurity in Mali and Guinea Bissau.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50313#.VQhVutm9Kc1
Over 16,000 children have lost one or both parents to Ebola. They range from the very young (under five years of age ) to those in their teenage years.
Extended family members have in some cases rejected these children due to the stigmatization brought on by the illness.
This has improved over the months as people gained more awareness of the virus.
In Guinea for example as at February 2015 it was reported that all the 773 children orphaned by Ebola have been taken in by relatives.
UNICEF, Save the children, Faith based humanitarian organizations have filled in the gap by creating temporary homes for these children and helping un accompanied children trace their relatives.
Some of the very young ones cry so often because they miss their parents. The older ones too miss their parents. A lot of these children feel rejected and alone.
In Sierra Leone, it was reported that children orphaned by Ebola, especially the teenage girls have been found to be more susceptible to Gender based violence, which may result in rape, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
http://awoko.org/2015/03/03/sierra-leone-news-ebola-orphans-are-high-risk-gbv/
The issues highlighted are time sensitive and urgent actions need to be taken by all to lessen the projected risks.
A measles campaign is being advocated. This may help reduce the number of un vaccinated children and hence reduce the chances of a measles outbreak which is currently a potential time bomb.
There is the need to help the affected nations revive their economy. More help by the responsible bodies and world leaders is advocated.
Bettering the economy will help reduce the suffering of the masses and reduce the overall burden of disease.
Individuals, families and groups may plan to support a child that has been orphaned by Ebola.
This will help these children feel more loved and accepted and overall improve their quality of life.
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