Dr. Michael Mawanda saw some disturbing behaviours when he was in Sierra Leone helping fight the Ebola epidemic, including relatives removing patients from the hospital where he worked. “Naturally what happens is that as more and more people get infected, people learn lessons. Unfortunately, that takes a long time,” Dr. Mawanda, a 38-year-old Ugandan physician, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The Ebola outbreak, which is stabilizing in Liberia and Guinea, is spreading fastest in Sierra Leone. In a recent 21-day period, Guinea had 306 new Ebola cases. Liberia had 278. Sierra Leone had 1,455, according to the World Health Organization.
Dr. Mawanda believes that clinging to dangerous practices is the reason why. So does Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, who on Tuesday urged Sierra Leoneans to desist from washing of corpses. Unsafe burials are believed responsible for 70 per cent of new infections in Sierra Leone, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brima Kargbo told reporters Wednesday. The bodies of people who have died from Ebola are particularly contagious and must be handled carefully, but throughout the region, many people continue to bury their dead using traditional methods, including washing and touching the body. Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or corpse.
Ebola donations raised through HOTRIC Charity Shop to date are: £235.99.