The latest numbers from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa put the death toll at over 2,200. Unless there are some radical changes on the approach to this epidemic, this number will only keep rising, and likely at a faster rate.
To be sure, there are multiple reasons why this outbreak happened. Between poor containment efforts, lack of provided medical attention and West African skepticism, this outbreak has been doomed since the beginning. Those issues in mind, the biggest concerning factor is the snail paced response. The first reported case of Ebola was thought to be as early as last December in Guinea. Nine months later and not much has happened to successfully stop the virus from spreading.
Recently the United States committed to sending a 25-bed field hospital to Liberia to help health workers there, but that is not nearly enough. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) team there is an estimated need of 1,000 beds in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, not to mention other areas in dire need. While the infected countries certainly appreciate all of the help we have thus far provided them, we can and should do more.
Medical facilities are not all that we should be providing to the countries in need however. Countries such as Liberia are woefully understaffed, with only one doctor for nearly 100,000 inhabitants. Liberia alone has had over 150 health care workers infected, while 79 have died since the crisis took hold, according to the WHO. We should be providing trained health experts to assist the staffers already in place.
Without the needed medical facilities and staff, containment efforts will never succeed. Infected citizens who are unable to receive proper medical care are left to roam untreated. Those left untreated are likely to travel around their communities or return to their families, with a higher probability of infecting others. The best thing we can do to stop this epidemic is providing facilities and care for those infected, to keep this virus from spreading further.
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So why should we spend money on a disease that is thousands of miles away from American shores? I would argue the number one reason is the ease of travelling in the 21st century. We are just one plane ride away from having the virus on our doorstep. That’s not to say we would have trouble containing it like the West Africans have, but why even let it potentially get that far? As the largest contributing country for humanitarian assistance in the world, we should not be shy about assisting with what has turned out to be one of the largest disasters this year. America has historically avoided getting caught up in African issues, but let’s not let this crisis pass over with us standing idly by.
