As we mark the second anniversary of the Ebola outbreak, Darren Hertz, an 探花精选 aid worker recalls his experiences fighting the deadly disease that took the lives of almost four thousand people within the country:
"When Ebola hit Sierra Leone, I was working as 探花精选鈥檚 education coordinator. Immediately, our programme committed to stay and fight to contain the virus 鈥 whatever it took 鈥 and I headed up country to start up response programmes. Denial was everywhere, rumours circulated widely that this was the government鈥檚 attempt to thin out the opposing party鈥檚 population or that deaths were the result of curses fuelled by jealousy. Our ambulance teams were stoned when heading out to a rural community to a pick up an Ebola suspected patient. I tried to imagine myself born and raised in a rural village and then one day a big white truck pulls up and men get out in white 鈥渟pace suits鈥 and attempt to take my mother away.
The virus raged on, apathetic to claims that it would remain relatively isolated. It spread quickly to a second district, Kenema, where Dr. Khan, a son of Sierra Leone, isolated and cared for Ebola patients in the hospital鈥檚 Lassa Fever ward. Then Dr. Khan was infected, and died, and the whole country believed Ebola was real. But, like a colleague told me, 鈥淓bola attacks us because we are people who love and care for each other 鈥 Ebola kills through human touch鈥. Your infant child gets sick and you are not supposed to touch her? Could you do that? Ebola also traumatizes through fear - like the fear my wife felt as I was sent off to an Ebola isolation unit, after coming down with a fever and body aches that thankfully turned out to be malaria.
The virus finally peaked, after ravishing all 14 districts of the country. The desperate desire for its end has been palpable. There鈥檚 much cause for national remembrance of family members and friends who were taken. And there鈥檚 much cause for celebration of the amazing, untiring work that has been done despite the ever-present danger and the profound sense of fear. But it鈥檚 also time to recommit to preventing a future outbreak. Ebola has been here much longer than we initially knew. We also know few countries experiencing Ebola have only experienced it once. And, as a co-worker put it, 鈥渢his region is our home, two houses have been extinguished but Guinea, the third house, still burns uncontrolled."
The 探花精选 has been at the forefront of the fight to stem the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia since the outbreak began in March 2014. We're working closely with local governments in both countries on the transition to recovery and long-term rehabilitation of health systems, schools and communities.
Read the 探花精选's new report on learning the lessons from the Ebola outbreak.
