Ebola

The sudden re-emergence of the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea is really testing whether we need to re-visit the policies of our public health systems. Today Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and the world are worrying about Ebola Virus. Before Ebola outbreak I was worried about the children, women and men I worked with at Straight From The Heart. When I was in Liberia last year in November 2013, I was looking at the poor medical infrastructure and poor capacity to manage basic health for women when it comes to Sexually transmitted Diseases and high rate maternal death among most Liberia women and young teens. Like many organizations and Straight From The Heart in Liberia we were not ready for the Ebola Virus. The impact was very severe for us since we lost two of our boys, because they went to their village in Lofa County. Media has helped to mitigate the initial denials by the people that Ebola is not real. Special language programs on radio for locals. Regular updates on the status of deaths and confirmed cases. Rumors have also been dispelled especially in regards to cure of the diseases. Since the state of emergency, media has provided a means of entertainment and succor to fear and panic situation. Most Liberians are glued to their radios for updates on the situations.

What I strongly believe is most people will look at the Ebola outbreak in Liberia as merely an external force of nature that we human beings somehow had the misfortune to encounter this in Liberia. That kind of thinking in my country will prevent us from learning the deeper causes of our public health and the vulnerabilities and therefor prevent us all in Liberia from addressing then as part of a larger project to create a healthier, more sustainable way of life in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, villages, towns and Counties and Countries.

Agnes Fallah Kamara Umunna

Radio Producer/Presenter & Human Rights Activist

Straight From The Heart

http://www.oneliberiaradio.org

http://straightfromtheheartgroup.com

Ebola Facts

Ebola is a very scary disease. It kills most of the time and has no cure. The good news is that you don't have to get it. Here is what you need to know.
What is Ebola? It" a Bloody. Ebola is what  Scientists call a Hemorrhagic Fever. It operated by making its victims bleed from almost anywhere on their body usually, victims bleed to death from Ebola.
It contagious;being transmitted via contact with body fluids such as blood, saliva, semen or body discharges.
Ebola is not Airborne Really Deadly. About 90% of people that catch Ebola will die from it. It's one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing in the a few weeks untreatable.
This is the sad part- Ebola has no know treatment or cure. Victims are usually treated for symptoms with the faint hope that they recover.
What are the symptoms? How do I know someone has Ebola?
The symptoms generally take 2-21 days to become apparent.
The symptoms are deceptively general tending to look a lot like malaria or a flu. One more thing people aren't contagious until they display symptoms like: Fever,Headache,Diarrhea,Vomiting,Weakness,Joint&Muscle Ache, Stomach Pain and Lack of Appetite.
How Do I Protect Myself? Protect Yourself.
There are few things to protect yourself and family. Don't mess around with this advice; Remember Ebola has no cure!
Wash your hands with soap. Do this lit. You can also use a good and sanitizer. Avoid unnecessary contact. No Bush meat- Bush meat maybe carrying the virus. Better to restrict yourself to food you prepared yourself. Disinfect your surroundings. The virus cannot survive disinfectants, heat, direct sunlight, detergents and soap clean up! Fumigate If you have pests. Fumigate your environment and dispose of the carcasses properly. Better a clean environment for you Don't touch Carcasses. Dead bodies can still transmit Ebola.  Don't touch them without protective gear or avoid the altogether.
Protect yourself. Use protective gear if you must care or go near someone you suspect has Ebola.
REPORT. Please report any suspicious symptoms in yourself or anyone else immediately you notice them. DON"T DELAY!
EDUCATE EVERYONE
TELL YOUR NEIGHBOR, COLLEAGUES AND DOMESTIC STAFF. YOU'RE SAFER WHEN EVERYONE IS EDUCATED ABOUT EBOLA.
What else can I Do?
SPREAD THE WORD. WE'RE ALL SAFER WHEN MORE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS SO PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE.