- Washington “follows with interest” Morocco’s openness onto Africa (John Kerry)Posted 11 years ago
- The trial of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius opened in Pretoria on Monday.Posted 11 years ago
- USA welcomes efforts of King Mohammed VI in MaliPosted 11 years ago
- Egypt’s population reaches 94 millionPosted 11 years ago
- Mugabe celebrates his 90thPosted 11 years ago
- Moroccan Monarch to Build a Perinatal Clinic in BamakoPosted 11 years ago
- King Mohammed VI handed a donation of bovine semen for the benefit of Malian breeders.Posted 11 years ago
- Moroccan King’s strategic tour to Africa: Strengthening the will of pan African Solidarity and stimulating the south-south cooperation mechanisms over the continentPosted 12 years ago
- Senior al-Qaida leader killed in AlgeriaPosted 12 years ago
- Libya: The trial of former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi AliPosted 12 years ago
Facing Ebola Outbreak
by Taro Mitamura
People living in Liberia are struggling to rebuild their lives after their country was declared Ebola-free. The disease claimed more than 4,700 victims in the West African nation and tore apart families. Now, many of the survivors face a long journey trying to pick up the pieces.
The official declaration from the World Health Organization that the Ebola outbreak was over brought joy to the people of Liberia. The number of deaths there caused by the deadly virus was by far the most of any nation.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf thanked the world for helping put an end to the epidemic. But even though the country is now Ebola-free, the impact can still be felt in every corner of society.
At one of the treatment centers for Ebola patients, there were once a few hundred patients receiving care. Now the government has closed the facility. Officials will keep the center for now. They say they will use it if another outbreak occurs. But many who survived an Ebola infection are now suffering from the aftereffects of the disease.
A man in his 40’s says his left eye has gone blind.
“I lost my left eye,” he says. “And my right is growing dimmer every day. I mean, I really don’t know what my life will be if I go totally blind. My knee, my ankle, all over my body, I’m experiencing severe pain.”
Medical experts call it “post-Ebola syndrome”. The cause of the symptoms is unknown.
WHO Liberia Representative Alex Gasasira says, “Several survivors are reporting difficulty with their vision, with their eyes. Many survivors are reporting deafness or difficulty with their ears. Many are reporting general body weakness or body pains. It’s something that we need to document very well.”
In the outskirts of Monrovia lies a cemetery. Those who died from an Ebola infection are buried there.
25-year-old Lorpu Kollie lost her parents. She was also infected but managed to recover.
“As for my parents, they died a very painful death,” she says. “My mother would cry every night on her bed. I said, ‘Ma, stop crying.'”
Kollie survived, but the stigma remained. Neighbors told her to leave the community. Many people in Liberia still fear the virus. One resident says “Because they can spray (the virus). Now we know you get it, we may get it again from you.”
The outbreak left thousands of orphans. Two sisters, Diamond and Secret Moore, lost both of their parents. They now only have each other to play with.
“We were infected by the Ebola virus,” says Secret Moore. “Before that, our friends would play with us. But no one plays with us anymore.”
None of their relatives would care for them, so a friend of their mother offered to live with the sisters. She says that now she feels shunned from her neighbors.
The outbreak may be over, but for many, the scars of the Ebola virus will take a long time to heal.
