After months of Ebola crisis in Africa, 2015 brings hope for the countries afflicted by the deadly virus and the rest of the world.
After months of reading discouraging headlines alarming the entire world about the deadly outbreak that swept through the African continent, 2015 brings some hope, and finally good news to Western Africa and the rest of the world. The Ebola cases in countries like Sierra Leone and Guinea, the worst severely affected in the region, have now declined.The virus epidemic has received the attention of the whole world and has unfortunately taken the lives of 8,641 people so far.
But first, how did it all start? The Ebola virus was first discovered in the year 1976 when two cases of a strange disease occurred simultaneously in Africa, one in Sudan, and the other in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The case in the DRC occurred in a village near the Ebola River which is why the disease has adopted such a name. However, the most recent outbreak swept through urban and rural areas of West Africa in March of 2014. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the outbreak was “traced to a two-year toddler who died in December 2013 in Guinea”.
The country of Liberia reported two days ago that there haven’t been new cases of the virus. According to the World Health Organization “Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have all the sufficient capacity to burn those who have died from disease.” Unfortunately, Sierra Leone remains the worst affected country. In the capital, Freetown, young kids remain hopeful to return to school very soon. In Guinea, schools and universities will reopen after a five month closure.
The United Nations has helped enormously to treat those who have contracted Ebola. Now, WHO has stated that it will continue “maintaining surveillance” and “supporting at-risk countries to develop preparedness plans.” Although there was once widespread consternation over Ebola cases, the number of patients affected by the virus in West Africa will keep declining, and not only will a vaccine be developed, but hopefully the U.N will help promote an improvement of healthcare systems in West Africa.
By:Maria Luisa Cepeda
After months of reading discouraging headlines alarming the entire world about the deadly outbreak that swept through the African continent, 2015 brings some hope, and finally good news to Western Africa and the rest of the world. The Ebola cases in countries like Sierra Leone and Guinea, the worst severely affected in the region, have now declined.The virus epidemic has received the attention of the whole world and has unfortunately taken the lives of 8,641 people so far.
But first, how did it all start? The Ebola virus was first discovered in the year 1976 when two cases of a strange disease occurred simultaneously in Africa, one in Sudan, and the other in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The case in the DRC occurred in a village near the Ebola River which is why the disease has adopted such a name. However, the most recent outbreak swept through urban and rural areas of West Africa in March of 2014. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the outbreak was “traced to a two-year toddler who died in December 2013 in Guinea”.
The country of Liberia reported two days ago that there haven’t been new cases of the virus. According to the World Health Organization “Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have all the sufficient capacity to burn those who have died from disease.” Unfortunately, Sierra Leone remains the worst affected country. In the capital, Freetown, young kids remain hopeful to return to school very soon. In Guinea, schools and universities will reopen after a five month closure.
The United Nations has helped enormously to treat those who have contracted Ebola. Now, WHO has stated that it will continue “maintaining surveillance” and “supporting at-risk countries to develop preparedness plans.” Although there was once widespread consternation over Ebola cases, the number of patients affected by the virus in West Africa will keep declining, and not only will a vaccine be developed, but hopefully the U.N will help promote an improvement of healthcare systems in West Africa.
By:Maria Luisa Cepeda