Blog 6: West Africa Unprepared for Future Health Crises Despite Ebola Aid
West African nations
are at an extremely vulnerable state at this point. They are still recovering from the previous
Ebola outbreak, which was the worst the continent has ever experienced. The health care is nearly decimated, leaving
West African citizens more vulnerable than ever to infectious diseases. Health and medical resources sent from other
countries such as the United States are running dry. Only 100 of the more than 1,500 U.S. military
personnel deployed in West Africa during the peak of the outbreak are still in
the country. They are expected to leave
by the end of April, leaving West Africa to fend for themselves if another
outbreak were to begin. Not to mention,
many West African children remain unimmunized from many diseases such as
measles, polio, and influenza. If a
country or nation, already weakened by the Ebola outbreak, is affected by any
one of the diseases above, it has the potential to be way more lethal and cause
more devastation than Ebola. Viruses
such as measles and the flu can be spread a lot quicker than the Ebola virus,
which is transmitted through blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids
of an infected person. Measles is
already being watched carefully. The
response for Ebola was extremely slow and the same is expected if another
outbreak were to arise. Also, the number
of health care workers has diminished as well, taken by the previous Ebola
outbreak. West Africa is at high risk.
I am extremely worried
that another outbreak has the potential to be as or even more lethal than
Ebola. West African nations have already
been ravaged by the Ebola virus and currently attempting to pick up the pieces. If another outbreak were to happen, it is not
sure that foreign countries will continue to provide aid and supply West Africa
with medical resources. The affected nations
just may be abandoned or neglected. The
Ebola outbreak proved just how horribly prepared West Africa as well as the
World Health Organization was. The US
and the UK provided the most financial aid to the countries of West Africa.
Brandon Smith
March 24, 2015
9:44AM
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