Let us start with facts about Ebola. Ebola Virus Disease first appeared in 1976, in what are today the countries of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus was discovered by Peter Piot and his colleagues, at the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, from blood samples of a nun working in the village of Yambuku, south of the Ebola River. Humans are infected through contact with bodily fluids, organs, or secretions of infected animals such as apes, monkeys, antelopes, or fruit bats. The virus then spreads from human-to-human through direct contact with bodily fluids, including breast milk and semen, and surfaces or objects such as infected bedding or clothing.
Since 1976 it is estimated that there have been over 1,800 cases of Ebola, with nearly 1,300 deaths, before this latest outbreak. West Africa — largely Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone — is now experiencing the largest outbreak of the Zaïre strain of the Ebola Virus in history. The current outbreak was officially declared on March 23, 2014, and has killed close to 5,000 people of the approximately 14,000 who are thought to have been affected.
Now for the myths about Ebola: Ebola spreads through water, through air and … through chocolate, apparently. While responding to Ebola outbreaks in the Republic of Congo (2002-2003), I experienced first-hand how myths and misunderstanding about its spread can affect effective response. For organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and others, this misinformation and misreporting of facts affects not just containing the epidemic but also the response to it, by impacting the willingness of health workers to volunteer in such tough medical emergencies and fight the disease where it should be fought — on the ground.
And then there is the hysteria. The fear that Ebola may strike at home has forced media and governments across the world to have a blinkered view about the problem. In the last few weeks, the focus has shifted from the problem at hand — the continuing epidemic in West Africa — to a handful of cases in developed nations. The best guarantee against the spread at home is to mount a concerted and effective response to the epidemic in West Africa.
It is probably unfair to say that the media has been sensationalising the issue. In this and previous epidemics, the media has played a huge role in alerting and educating the public to the disease’s symptoms, spread and prevention. It also allows humanitarian organisations to voice their concerns and pressure international agencies and governments to step up their on-the-ground response efforts. A consistent and responsible reportage also highlights the gaps in deficiencies in national and international responses.
The discussion and debate about the disease, however, has come to a crucial point: Do we allow the myths around the disease to consume us or do we practice a rational, scientific and experience-based discourse around it? For us, the strict protocols we lay down for health workers dealing with Ebola comes from our long experience in dealing with the disease and from valid information provided by science and ongoing research. The pertinent point is that the protocols that we and others, such as the Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), have developed are effective. A person is contagious only when he/she exhibits known symptoms of the disease. This is the reason why we do not enforce self-quarantine but educate all health workers about associated risks. What we drill into our field workers is vigilant monitoring of one’s own health, frequent communication with our offices, and immediate reporting of symptoms that suggest Ebola.
Our expertise in dealing with contagious disease outbreaks has taught it that, during public health crises, educating the community and dispelling myths play a key role in breaking the chain of contact. Only when one understands the disease and how it spreads can stringent measures be taken to prevent it. This critical aspect will play a life-saving role in breaking the current chain of infection transmission.
Part of the challenge in tackling the current contagion of Ebola is in dismantling the layers of myths by relying on scientific discourse. It is here that the media can do a great deal of good by consistently highlighting the facts, over and over again. Humanitarian organisations are battling Ebola on the ground but the media can strengthen our work by taking on the equally formidable enemy: Fear.
The writer is former International President (2010-2013) and MSF India trustee.
