Why is West Africa's Ebola outbreak so hard to contain?
Tomorrow, the head of the WHO meets with leaders of several West African nations in Guinea to launch a $100-million campaign to help fight the Ebola outbreak. The WHO says that the scale of the outbreak and its continued growth make it necessary to take the fight to a new level.
Dr. Kent Brantly was flown back to the U.S. for treatment after contracting the virus while helping patients in Liberia.
If even the doctors who take elaborate precautions still manage to catch the lethal disease, it's no wonder many Ebola patients and their families fear hospitals. Health workers say it's often hard to convince patients infected with Ebola to seek treatment, and many are suspicious of health workers who show up during an outbreak.
And the oubreak spreads across West Africa, many wonder if it can remain there. We asked Dr. Jay Keystone, a Senior Staff Physician at Toronto General Hospital's Tropical Disease Unit, if Canadians should worry.
Certainly if you look at the news media, and the pictures, I would be afraid, but my answer is no...in terms of spread to the community, and in Canada, it's highly highly unlikely.Dr. Jay Keystone
To find out more, we were joined by three guests:
- Jean-Pierre Taschereau is the Head Emergency Operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He returns to West Africa next week.
- Reine Lebel is a psychologist who worked with Ebola patients and their families in Dikidou, Guinea.
- Melissa Leach is Director of the Institute of Development Studies and the Leader of the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium.
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This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry, Catherine Kalbfleisch and intern Wanyee Li.