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April 25, 2015

2014-2016: EBOLA CRISIS

Background

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  • December 2013: 18-month-old boy is infected by bats 

  • January 24, 2014: Official medical alert issued

  • March 23, 2014: 49 confirmed cases and 29 deaths-WHO declares Ebola Outbreak 

  • July 2014: Due to weak surveillance symptoms and poor public health infrastructure Ebola spreads to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone 

  • August 8, 2014: WHO declares deteriorating situation in 
    West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International 
    Concern 

  • 2014-2016: Ebola spreads to Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, 
    Spain, the United Kingdom and United States

ebola.jpg
Image from https://time.com/3827810/who-ebola-crisis-response-failure/

  • Outbreak is attributed to the circulation of Ebola into crowded urban areas, increased mobilization across borders, and conflicts between key infection control practices and prevailing cultural and traditional practices in West Africa. 

  • Liberia Ebola free: May 2014, September 2015 and officially January 2016 

  • Sierra Leone Ebola free: March 2016 and officially in June 2016 

  • The outbreak ended with 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths
     

Psychological Impact

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  • Fear-related behaviors and misinformation led to ingesting large amounts of salt water, breaking quarantine to obtain ‘holy water’, avoid health care facilities and depression when suspecting Ebola Stigmatization

  • 95% of respondents expressed one discriminatory attitude toward survivors

  • 78% of respondents would not welcome an Ebola survivor back into their community

  • Disruption in cultural and traditional practices may have had a severe mental health impact on families

  • Traditional burial practices, healing practices, caring directly for a sick relative

  • Knowing someone who had direct exposure to Ebola or died from Ebola were more likely to report PTSD symptoms

  • Psychological trauma from witnessing patients hemorrhage from body orifices

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