This article is based on an interview with Ahmed Alameldeen who was working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak, as Medical Logistician.
Ahmed Alameldeen was responsible for sourcing the Medical items and the personal protective equipment (PPE), used by health personnel for treatment of Ebola virus.
Nowadays more and more people are placing priority on their health status, with the rise of Covid-19 cases across the globe. Long before the Coronavirus pandemic, was the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) surrounding West Africa declared in 2014. It was one of the scariest and long-enduring outbreaks in the disease history, lasting over 40 years.
Liberia was most affected, implementing different strategies and ways to improve the number of cases in the country. Here we will be providing you all the information you need to know regarding the Ebola pandemic and how healthcare and humanitarian organisations can work together to combat the spread of this infectious disease.
Management Strategies For EVD
Liberia provides a range of different measures to reduce the number of Ebola cases in West Africa. The measures got so extreme that at one point health workers rejected the idea to go to work only if the government gives them high-quality sterilization equipment. Because of this, the number of deaths of not only EVD but curable diseases such as malaria. This introduced the Humanitarian Implementation Plam (HIP) which aimed to provide medical assistance from practitioners from non-affected nations. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were required to ensure the safety of the health workers and preventing the spread of EVD.
Medecins San Frontieres (MSF)
Medicins San Frontieres was the initial NGO agency that provided medical assistance in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak from 2013 to 2016. As it had prior experience in treating Ebola cases in Uganda and Sudan, MSF started a clinic to treat EVD in Liberia, reducing the rising numbers of cases in Liberia. With their help, they’ve been able to make a difference to the health condition of the Liberian population.
Treatment
There is a vaccine that works to prevent cases of Ebola but the best forms of preventative treatment are antibiotics, resuscitation, and receiving adequate healthcare. For healthcare professionals working on the deceased bodies and family members at burials were recommended to were full PPE and take a swab test in order to make sure the people are safe from getting infected from EVD. The vaccine has been able to provide effective treatment to patients who are getting Ebola which has helped save thousands of lives. In addition to receiving physical treatment, patients were given counseling and psychotherapy for the distressing situation to help them fully recover.
Contact Tracing
For those who have been in contact with someone infected with the Ebola virus, they need to wait 21 days in isolation to check for symptoms of the illness. During this time if symptoms persist and a positive result is indicated, they must insolate for these 21 days. Because of the rising cases in Liberia, extreme safety measures were done to anyone in the Liberian airport, making sure that anyone entering into the country had been clean and gotten their temperatures before and after arrival.
The EVD outbreak is just a sign of the need for preparation in the case of another pandemic which is clearly shown through the rise of COVID-19, making it now more important more than ever.
