Ebola: the “Rumor” that is Proving to be a National Tragedy

liberia

Thu, 07/10/2014 - 09:16 admin

By: 

Magdalene Matthews

Exactly two months ago, when the initial ebola outbreak seemed to be subsiding in the country, I wrote an article entitled, When the Nurse Happens to Be Your Mom: More Reasons Why Environmental and Occupational Health Must be Prioritized. It was published in the Daily Observer in May. While the intent of that article was to review pertinent lessons learnt from the passing epidemic and hopefully draw attention to the plight of health care workers in the line of danger, little did I know that just few weeks later, the very lessons I attempted to draw from the situation would be the headlines of an even more tragic national outbreak. Little did I also know that it would hit so close to home.

In late May, during a work related visit to Lofa, a colleague fell ill and had to be taken to the Tellowoyan Hospital. It was with great shock and sorrow that we found out that the pleasant young nurse who attended to my colleague during his bout of malaria lost her life to ebola just a few days ago. With an ever increasing spread and death toll, the “rumor” many believed to be just another story has sadly proven to be much more than fiction, but a real Greek tragedy which the nation is struggling to grapple with.

Just think about it for a minute. How can we possibly live in a country riding taxis and vehicles with four persons cramped in the backseat and not exchange some amount of bodily fluids?
How does a mother stop caring for her sick child even though that child is showing possible signs of the disease? How does a husband not care for a sick wife? How do you overcome the grief of not being able to partake in the burial of your loved one lost to ebola? Indeed, this is one epidemic which cuts to the very core of our humanity as a nation.
Ever more relevant today, I revisited my May article: “Lookin..http://www.liberianobserver.com/environment/ebola-%E2%80%9Crumor%E2%80%9D-proving-be-national-tragedy