Ebola Control and Management Essay

Politics and the securitization of the threat of the Ebola virus have influenced responses in different ways. Decades of civil war in countries most affected by Ebola made the situation worse. Several villagers lack faith in governments and foreign healthcare workers. In Sierra Leone, the government is associated with corrupt practices, non-transparent dealings, and lies.Ebola Control and Management Essay

Some civilians claimed that both the government and healthcare workers were intentionally spreading the virus; the government wants to sell their blood or conduct rituals with patients’ body parts. Some claimed that the chlorine could be used to spread the virus, or the government simply invented the disease to get more donations. Other villagers chased away healthcare workers, rejected education on Ebola, and insisted on burying their dead according to the tradition.Ebola Control and Management Essay

Such suspicions complicated Ebola control and management.

When villagers feared that government and healthcare workers were part of the Ebola epidemic, they undermined all efforts to control the spread of the virus through isolation of infected persons. Even the WHO could only offer estimates on the numbers of Ebola casualties because it could not get actual data from any sources.

Hence, its power was equally limited. The WHO had provided the required recommendations to combat Ebola and outlined appropriate security measures to protect healthcare workers and patients. The government, however, did little or nothing to implement recommendations, protect healthcare workers, and quarantine areas.Ebola Control and Management Essay