Ebola Crisis In West Africa

When I think about third world countries, I immediately think of things like their lack of fresh water or food. But the more I read into the problems of poverty stricken countries, the more I realize that at this point medical attention is what they need most. The most current medical scare in the world is taking place in Western Africa right now with an outrageous Ebola epidemic. Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly viral diseases and there have been numerous cases confirmed in Guinea, Africa. The problem with Ebola is that 90 percent of people who contract the virus die. These people are getting Ebola from handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest. The virus is then passed through close contact with bodily "fluids such as blood, saliva and sweat of an infected person or animal. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 by two outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, no known cure has been found for the virus, which is why this is creating such a panic. Symptoms of Ebola consist of sudden fevers, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches, and sore throats.

Intense symptoms like bleeding from the ears, and the popping of blood vessels are recorded to be some of the most horrific symptoms. West Africa is having troubles keeping the virus under control without having a cure. Ebola has started spreading from remote villages in Guinea’s rainforests to the more bustling African capital of Liberia. At this point, 90 deaths in Liberia have been recorded and the number is still climbing. As much as the government and health centers are doing their best to keep the civilians from panicking, angry southern Guinean citizens recently attacked a health center where patients were being treated. An unavoidable panic has started rising. Senegal has closed its border to Guinea. Morocco has increased their border control and neighboring countries are being asked to keep watch for more spreading of the virus.

Of course, we can assume that these African countries are working to find a cure for this virus, but I can’t help but think if there is any more that people can do. If they haven’t found a cure in 30-plus years, how do we know that there is even hope of one? With America’s many organizations that do things like building wells, sending supplies, or caring for orphans, we should also focus on helping countries with a lack of water and food. In order to stop something that could eventually be threatening to the entire world, we should be adamant about helping countries with limited medical attention.