Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, a specialist in global health, has written a very detailed article on how the recent Ebola outbreak affects many of these countries. At first she describes some key points that distinguishes this outbreak from the previous ones. One particular point she made referenced the location in which it began. It was quite odd to see that the current outbreak started in a notably different region from the previous outbreaks. Salaam-Blyther states that the other outbreaks were "concentrated in the DRC [Dominican Republic of the Congo], Gabon, Sudan...," which is mainly central Africa. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 2) This shows that the disease is a potential hazard in our global society and it can move quickly across the globe. It is scary to see that such an infectious disease can rapidly spawn into an area and infect thousands of people. Not only has it begun to spread to other countries, it has found it's way into the cities of these countries. Salaam-Blyther states in her article that in the past the virus was "confined to rural areas and forested areas," but now it is spreading to urban settings. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 2) The cities are the best places for viruses to spread because there are so many people that could potentially be infected. This is a difficult situation because people are always coming in contact with one another in these large societies. This is especially true in African culture, where touching one another is a huge factor. The disease is spreading rapidly through the biggest ports along the Western African coast, which is causing thousands of people to become infected. Salaam-Blyther states in her article that some cases are "doubling every 15-20 days.. [others] every 30-40 days." (Salaam-Blyther, para. 2) Which is terrible in these countries where the health care system is not a huge help.
The United States has also been doing a great deal to improve things overseas. Besides the fact that we have had our own case in our country, it was much easier for us to isolate the disease because we are so developed. In the article Salaam-Blyther reveals that many organizations have been contributing to the aid overseas such as the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA), who was funded $750 million from the Department of Defense in order to build 17 Ebola treatment units. On top of that, Congress has provided $88 million which distributes to $30 million for "response activities" and $58 million for research. This I believe will greatly help the health care system in these countries which were already weak before the Ebola outbreak. There are a number of problems that are a cause to this outbreak one being that these countries cannot compensate for their own health workers. Many of the workers, Salaam-Blyther insists, are not getting their benefits and are experiencing delays receiving their pay. Some of the workers, she says, have even left their jobs due to the increasing safety concerns and lack of proper equipment. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 5) I do not blame them for leaving their jobs. They are having to deal with life threatening diseases without protective gear to prevent themselves from getting it. If we look at the nurse in Texas who had been diagnosed with Ebola after treating a man while wearing the protective gear, we can see how easily this disease can be transmitted. It is not a safe environment for these workers and they deserve to be paid very high.
As a result of these workers leaving their jobs, there have been shortages of these people who are so desperately needed. This has left many people who are infected without aid. Salaam-Blyther said in her article that, "health centers are prompting people to care for the ill on their own, " which will further spread the virus. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 6) No one with the right experience will know how to handle people with this disease, which is why the disease will only continue to spread. With the shortages of workers, some facilities have even closed their doors making it even harder to find aid. Many of the people seeking aid travel far distances to receive care only to be turned down to the waiting room until their case is severe. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 9) This is not the way to take care of patients who are in need of care. Putting these patients in the waiting room with other's who do not have the disease will only worsen the problem and cause it to spread more. These countries I believe need to restructure their health care system and find better ways to isolate these patients from the others. On top of that, safe disposal of the infected bodies also needs to be taken care of carefully. Salaam-Blyther suggests that the disposal of the bodies was also improving in these countries where "90% of [the] dead bodies are being removed with 24 hours." This could help slow the spread of the disease, but it is hard to do so when people of these areas often kiss their dead relatives before they are buried. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 9) I believe that this is a difficult situation to deal with because this is how they show their respect to their dead relatives. They would have to somehow spread the word that this is how the disease will spread and how the bodies are most infectious when they are dead. Hopefully the increasing efforts in these overseas countries will continue to better themselves.
Comparing to my previous post, this article also shows how the virus is spreading rapidly through major cities along the coast. Shipping docks provide a way for the virus to enter in and spread throughout. Also, they both talk about how the health care system in these African countries are not developed enough to be able to control this virus.
The author of this article, Tiaji Salaam-Blyther is a very credible source. Coming from the World Health Organization, she has a ton of experience on the past of this disease, so she is able to talk about it in a knowledgeable way. She currently works in the Library of Congress as part of the Congressional Research Service. This organization works for the US Congress to provide them with the "nation's best thinking."
As a result of these workers leaving their jobs, there have been shortages of these people who are so desperately needed. This has left many people who are infected without aid. Salaam-Blyther said in her article that, "health centers are prompting people to care for the ill on their own, " which will further spread the virus. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 6) No one with the right experience will know how to handle people with this disease, which is why the disease will only continue to spread. With the shortages of workers, some facilities have even closed their doors making it even harder to find aid. Many of the people seeking aid travel far distances to receive care only to be turned down to the waiting room until their case is severe. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 9) This is not the way to take care of patients who are in need of care. Putting these patients in the waiting room with other's who do not have the disease will only worsen the problem and cause it to spread more. These countries I believe need to restructure their health care system and find better ways to isolate these patients from the others. On top of that, safe disposal of the infected bodies also needs to be taken care of carefully. Salaam-Blyther suggests that the disposal of the bodies was also improving in these countries where "90% of [the] dead bodies are being removed with 24 hours." This could help slow the spread of the disease, but it is hard to do so when people of these areas often kiss their dead relatives before they are buried. (Salaam-Blyther, para. 9) I believe that this is a difficult situation to deal with because this is how they show their respect to their dead relatives. They would have to somehow spread the word that this is how the disease will spread and how the bodies are most infectious when they are dead. Hopefully the increasing efforts in these overseas countries will continue to better themselves.
Comparing to my previous post, this article also shows how the virus is spreading rapidly through major cities along the coast. Shipping docks provide a way for the virus to enter in and spread throughout. Also, they both talk about how the health care system in these African countries are not developed enough to be able to control this virus.
The author of this article, Tiaji Salaam-Blyther is a very credible source. Coming from the World Health Organization, she has a ton of experience on the past of this disease, so she is able to talk about it in a knowledgeable way. She currently works in the Library of Congress as part of the Congressional Research Service. This organization works for the US Congress to provide them with the "nation's best thinking."
Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji. "U.S. and International Health Responses to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa." U.S. and International Health Responses to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (2014): 1-25. Federation of American Scientists. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.