Deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa hampered by fear and stigma

(Vatican Radio)  Alarm is growing in the international community over the Ebola crisis  in West Africa that has killed over 700 people with the WHO announcing a new 100 million dollar response plan to tackle the deadly epidemic.   So, is the epidemic out of control as some claim?  And, how great is the fear and stigma attached to the disease?   

Susy Hodges spoke to Sandra Smiley, spokesperson for the humanitarian organization Médicins Sans Frontieres or Doctors Without Borders  which has been at the forefront of providing medical care for those who have contracted Ebola. 

 

Listen to the full interview with Sandra Smiley of  MSF:     

 

Smiley described the ongoing epidemic of Ebola as “very concerning”, adding “you don’t get the impression it’s under control.”  Asked why the wider international community only seems to be expressing alarm now although the outbreak has been going on for many months, Smiley said she sees it as a recognition “of the severity of the situation” but goes on to stress that the WHO response plan  will need to be backed up by “immediate action on the ground.”

Smiley has just returned from a visit to Sierra Leone and Guinea, two of the nations worst affected by the Ebola outbreak and she said what she found “most shocking” was the “stigma and misconceptions”  that surround the disease still.”  She pointed to the sad story of a man in Sierra Leone involved in the fight against Ebola whose son died of malaria.  She was shocked to hear that the local community blamed this man for his son’s death, saying “he’d brought it on himself” because of his involvement with the Ebola response.