From Bad to Worse With Ebola

[XemaSab]

The widening epidemic of Ebola in West Africa looks worse with each passing day. The outbreaks in the hardest-hit countries — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — have outstripped the ability of humanitarian groups and fragile government health systems to treat the sick and slow the spread.

A panicky effort to quarantine a large slum in Monrovia, Liberia, using troops to keep people penned in, proved a disastrous failure that probably made things worse. A shortage of protective clothing for health care workers treating sick patients in Sierra Leone led nurses to strike last week in a desperate effort to get more help. The virus has begun to spread to other countries where there is always a danger that it could ignite a new round of outbreaks.

In separate statements last week, officials of the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned that the outbreak is spreading out of control. W.H.O. leaders have said the outbreak in West Africa could be stopped in six to nine months, but only if a “massive” global response, which is nowhere in sight, is carried out.

The most shocking news of the week was how ill-prepared the W.H.O. was to organize an effective response. As Sheri Fink reported in The Times on Thursday, the agency had been weakened by harsh budget cuts in recent years and did not have the staff or ability to flood the Ebola zone. Its emergency response units have been slashed, veterans who led previous fights against Ebola have left, and scores of positions have been eliminated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/opinion/sunday/from-bad-to-worse-with-ebola.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&module=inside-nyt-region®ion=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region&_r=0

[lunasun]

1. could be stopped in six to nine months, but only if a “massive” global response, which is nowhere in

Sight
African blogs have been complaining about this from the start of this last outbreak
Their own countries first are to blame for slow action and lack of money out toward halting ,containing it but they are asking why aid has not come to this problem from any internationally formed entity in the strength that is needed
They felt if the west had contributed more in funding this would hVe been contained already.
I think the cheap ass west theory was it will burn it self out again and stay rural and it did not Nd then no international group fell in to place enough to stop it once it was apparent perhaps too late
The Africans know it is a world problem if not contained
The view from the west seems to be it won't happen here at home ,so not a place to send great amounts of help and $$$
Not a lot of money in Ebola research either so once again the prime focus is on $$
Others just say remain calm and carry on it is not as bad as you think

[XemaSab]

2. Doctors Without Borders and Samaritan's Purse

issued an excoriating statement a few months ago asking why two already stressed nonprofits were expected to manage this outbreak.

I thought that was a mighty fine question.

[lunasun]

3. Yes first hand on the ground knowledge of the lack of world support , and now it has crossed so many

Political borders . That is not helpful either.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. kick

[Omaha Steve]

5. Quarantine an entire continent?

It might be too late for that too.