A year has passed since the first case of Ebola laid bare the fragile state of the health care system in West African countries, triggering off a virtual epidemic with 10,000 deaths and 25,000 infections. Today, after what has been labelled as an initial ‘global coalition of inaction’, the world is vigorously trying to create awareness programmes to contain the dreaded disease while the medical industry is sponsoring programmes to find a way to eradicate it. Progress has been made to contain Ebola, but the home stretch is proving to be more difficult. Public cooperation on the ground is vital.
Countries must not declare themselves ‘Ebola-free’ till they have concrete proof that there is no freshly recorded case. Pockets of infection exist, especially in states like Sierra Leone and Guinea, and authorities must address this crisis. The world has been caught out by their ignorance and inaction to contain and combat Ebola. This trend is slowly being reversed by vigorous medical testing and the efforts of brave health-care workers who have risked their lives in trying to save others. Communities must cooperate with aid workers. They should be part of the solution and not the problem. Behavioural changes are essential. People must not resist medical aid in favour of home-grown remedies. The global health industry must work on a war footing to prepare against the next potential outbreak by arming itself with effective preventative measures and a quicker response time.
