26/06/2014 / GUINEA
A Unicef employee explains how to protect oneself from the Ebola virus, in April in Conakry. Photo : Unicef.
Three months after it first surfaced in Guinea, the Ebola virus epidemic – which has also hit Liberia and Sierra Leone – has been judged ‘out of control’ by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The virus has been eradicated from certain places only to spring up in others. For our Observers in Guinea, the real problem is raising public awareness.
On Tuesday, Doctor Bart Janssen – director of operations at MSF – warned that new outbreaks of the epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia indicated a real risk that the virus could spread even further.
Marc Poncin, emergency coordinator for MSF, in Conakry - told FRANCE 24 that “the epidemic has now taken on a regional dimension. It has spilled over into two neighbouring countries. A third of the patients in Gueckedou [the epicentre of the latest outbreak] come from Sierra Leone. The other big problem is that people aren't following proper control measures. Some of them even go so far as to question the existence of Ebola.” MSF says that control measures often aren’t respected during burials.
Delivery of medical equipment by the World Health Organization in April in Conakry. Photo:
In total, 60 outbreaks of the epidemic have been identified. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 635 presumed cases were recorded since the start of the year. Of those, 385 have been confirmed as being cases of the Ebola virus. The virus manifests itself through fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding and carries a mortality rate from 50% to 90%. It’s transmitted through direct contact with biological liquids, such as blood, sperm and saliva, or through the tissue of infected subjects. There is currently no treatment or vaccine that exists. In total, 399 people have died.
Map pinpointing main outbreaks of the epidemic. Source : MSF.
Marc Poncin explains that in Telimele the population had behaved exceptionally by sticking to the control measures. “We had healing rates that had never been reached before, with 3 out of 4 patients healed. We have to wait to make sure that the virus has been eradicated from the city, because the incubation time is 21 days.
Three months after it first surfaced in Guinea, the Ebola virus epidemic – which has also hit Liberia and Sierra Leone – has been judged ‘out of control’ by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The virus has been eradicated from certain places only to spring up in others. For our Observers in Guinea, the real problem is raising public awareness.
On Tuesday, Doctor Bart Janssen – director of operations at MSF – warned that new outbreaks of the epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia indicated a real risk that the virus could spread even further.
Marc Poncin, emergency coordinator for MSF, in Conakry - told FRANCE 24 that “the epidemic has now taken on a regional dimension. It has spilled over into two neighbouring countries. A third of the patients in Gueckedou [the epicentre of the latest outbreak] come from Sierra Leone. The other big problem is that people aren't following proper control measures. Some of them even go so far as to question the existence of Ebola.” MSF says that control measures often aren’t respected during burials.
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In total, 60 outbreaks of the epidemic have been identified. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 635 presumed cases were recorded since the start of the year. Of those, 385 have been confirmed as being cases of the Ebola virus. The virus manifests itself through fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding and carries a mortality rate from 50% to 90%. It’s transmitted through direct contact with biological liquids, such as blood, sperm and saliva, or through the tissue of infected subjects. There is currently no treatment or vaccine that exists. In total, 399 people have died.
“In areas where the virus has disappeared, people think that Ebola is made-up”
Souleymane Bah is a journalist in Conakry for Espace radio and television. He has just finished reporting in Telimele and Kindia, to the north of Conakry.
On Saturday, in Telimele, there were no sick people in the
isolation centre. The two cases under observation turned out to be
negative and the situation seemed to be under control. Kindia was never
affected.
But as a result, the fact that there are fewer cases had an impact on people’s behavior. Many think that the Ebola virus is make-believe, that it never existed. Hygiene measures are less respected than before: we saw at the market people shaking hands and kissing each other, doing things ill-advised. In most of the restaurants, small buckets of chlorinated water that allow people to wash their hands have disappeared. MSF and WHO have said not to claim victory yet, but that doesn’t seem to have affected people’s behavior. The number of deaths and cases reported by MSF has even been contested by local authorities [The Guinean minister of health, Remy Lamah, has himself rejected the declarations of MSF, saying that they don’t reflect the reality of the situation] which doesn’t encourage people to stay alert.
But as a result, the fact that there are fewer cases had an impact on people’s behavior. Many think that the Ebola virus is make-believe, that it never existed. Hygiene measures are less respected than before: we saw at the market people shaking hands and kissing each other, doing things ill-advised. In most of the restaurants, small buckets of chlorinated water that allow people to wash their hands have disappeared. MSF and WHO have said not to claim victory yet, but that doesn’t seem to have affected people’s behavior. The number of deaths and cases reported by MSF has even been contested by local authorities [The Guinean minister of health, Remy Lamah, has himself rejected the declarations of MSF, saying that they don’t reflect the reality of the situation] which doesn’t encourage people to stay alert.
Marc Poncin explains that in Telimele the population had behaved exceptionally by sticking to the control measures. “We had healing rates that had never been reached before, with 3 out of 4 patients healed. We have to wait to make sure that the virus has been eradicated from the city, because the incubation time is 21 days.
"Communication is limited to a few spots on the television and radio"
Mohamed lives in Conakry and works in a bank.
It’s not surprising that the virus is coming back and that new
sources of the virus are appearing. People are becoming less vigilant
here in Conakry. For me, the government is partly responsible for that:
at the start of the epidemic, there was a big effort to communicate
preventative measures to stop the virus from spreading. There were
messages on the television, radio, posters. There were even people
raising public awareness in the street. Communication has been limited
now to a few publicity spots on the television and the radio. This
situation worries me; we must double our efforts to counter the virus.
"Some even think that the virus was in the chlorinated water that we handed out"
Simon lives in Macenta. He has a diploma in medicine and works for an agricultural association. He raises public awareness of the virus amongst the residents of his city.
The appearance of the Ebola virus in Macenta around three or four
weeks ago forced us to bolster prevention efforts, but the work is often
complex. There were door-to-door handouts of chlorine and soap but
people have to be persuaded to use them. Some even believe that the
virus was in the chlorinated water. We try to explain to people how to
safely dispose of rubbish because many tend to just throw it in the
river, which raises the risk of the virus spreading. We explain how to
sort the rubbish, and the importance of using bins. I also go in public
cinemas and meeting places to remind people of the precautions to take.
The rainy season also caused flooding in the city, leaving stagnant
water which increases the risks. As a result, we’re extending the
drainage system to evacuate the water.
"The belief rate is growing, but it takes a permanent effort"
Douokoro Kanivogui is a doctor-vet in Nzerekore.
There haven’t been any cases in my city, but we need to be all the
more vigilant and pursue public awareness efforts, because we’re in an
area threatened by the virus. The illiteracy rate is high in Guinea, so
we must explain to people that the virus does exist, that it’s dangerous
and can happen here like elsewhere. Some have difficulty believing it.
They still think that it’s just bad fate
and not a virus. They’re real Saint Thomas’s; they want to see it to
believe it. The number of believers is growing, but it takes a permanent
effort, and we can’t let up our efforts. http://observers.france24.com/content/20140626-ebola-epidemic-guinea-people-think-it-made
