By Gen. Sir David Richards
I love Sierra Leone and it has been my great joy to visit the country many times since 2000 to see its steady progress. For countless years Britain and Sierra Leone have been partners for good, including most recently when British troops ended the civil war where torturous rebels murdered and brutalised innocents.
Since then Sierra Leone has started to flourish and the UK and other international partners have proudly assisted its noble people. The economy has grown, development has been steady and the lives of Sierra Leoneans have undoubtedly improved. The people of Sierra Leone have an amazing spirit and faith, and have worked incredibly hard for the success, growth and peace it has enjoyed in recent years.
But this delicate economy is now struggling under the weight of the Ebola outbreak and we watch daily as the human and economic tragedy unfolds. Britain has been working to contain the outbreak since early this year and in July announced the first phase of funding to tackle the disease; however it is clear that the world could have reacted faster. But we still have time to halt the spread of this cruel disease.
Right now meetings are taking place at the highest levels of governments and organisations around the world on what more we can do to assist. On 2 October the UK brought together over 20 governments and a dozen NGOs and charities to rally support from the international community. This resulted in numerous pledges of funds and offers of help in kind from across the world including Australia, the Philippines and Canada.
Led by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the UK is taking a leading role in helping Sierra Leone to fight this disease. With the help of 150 engineers and medics Britain is building at least 5 treatment centres with a total of 700 beds, enough to help up to 8,800 patients over six months. Over 500 British doctors and nurses have already volunteered to help deliver treatment.
We know one of the best ways to control and defeat this disease is to spot it early and get patients the treatment they need as quickly as possible. That is why we are planning to set up Ebola Care Units to give people somewhere within their communities where they can be diagnosed quickly and accurately. And we are helping to make safer burials for those who tragically succumb to the disease, to stop the disease spreading further.
The UK also announced last week that it is sending 600 further troops. These specially trained troops will help train healthcare workers at a World Health Organisation Ebola training centre, which is also being funded by Britain, and will include 200 military personnel to help run the site. This will help support Sierra Leone’s own public health service. In addition we are sending three Royal Navy helicopters and a ship to support the effort.
But Sierra Leoneans must help themselves too. There are three main things to remember.
First: when Ebola victims die, their relatives must not touch the deceased at burial services. This is a longstanding tradition but tragically up to 80% of Ebola cases have been contracted through touching dead bodies. It is vital that people stop touching the bodies of the deceased until the disease has been eradicated. Touching the body of someone who has died from Ebola is like saying you want to end up like them.
Second: on day one of illness, people must seek help from medical workers. Some people say that medical workers cannot help, or that people should stay at home – this advice is wrong and it could kill people. If someone starts feeling unwell, they must immediately present themselves to the local healthcare unit. If a person receives early treatment, the disease can be survived, and at a health clinic you won’t pass the disease on to your loved ones. If you stay at home and rely on traditional cures, the disease is much more likely to be deadly.
Third: you must limit your physical contact with other people as much as you can until this disease has got under control. Even the everyday act of shaking hands can transmit the virus and this is why the Sierra Leonean Government imposed the lockdown last month. The most simple practice of hand-washing many times will slow the spread of the disease. The virus is killed by soap and water and if Sierra Leoneans can take these most basic of steps, we stand a much better chance of beating this terrible outbreak quicker.
People who care for the sick are also much more likely to contract the disease. But that does not mean they do not deserve our respect. Health workers, ambulance drivers, contact tracers and burial teams are risking their lives to make sure no one else gets this disease. They are heroes.
Sierra Leone is one of the friendliest places in the world and I hold the nation and its people in my heart. The peaceful and hardworking people of Sierra Leone deserve the help of the international community and we will do whatever we can to stop this cruel and unfair sickness. But Sierra Leoneans must help themselves too and follow the official healthcare advice. If we all work together, if people follow medical advice and take every precaution, we will stop this outbreak and save thousands of lives. Together we can then start rebuilding the country. I am sure the world community will be generous in their response and, along with many others across the globe, I pledge myself to do all I can to ensure they are.
Top Six Rules to Beat Ebola
- Take action to protect individuals and families in the home while waiting for help.
Call 117 if you or anyone you know starts showing symptoms, and encourage sick people to go to a health facility immediately. Wash hands with soap, which kills the virus, and do not touch sick people, their bodily fluids or anything they have touched. - Promote safe burial and funeral practices
treat any death as though it could have been caused by Ebola. When there is a death, call 117 and do not touch the body or anything that has come into contact with the person. Allow burial teams to carry out safe medical burial practices, and pay your respects without touching, kissing, cleaning or wrapping the body. Pray over the body from a safe distance. - Address misconceptions about Ebola
Mosquitoes do not spread Ebola, it cannot spread through the air nor can it be cured with hot salt water or traditional healers. Ebola is not over, though if we all work together we can defeat this disease. - Support and provide an accepting environment for survivors
Our Ebola survivors are heroes, and need to be welcomed back into families and communities. It is safe to be around someone who has survived Ebola, though men who recover should wear a condom during sexual contact for at least 3 months after recovery. - Eliminate stigma and provide an accepting environment for Ebola service providers
Health care workers, ambulance workers, contacts tracers and burial teams are heroes, risking their lives to defeat this disease on behalf of all Sierra Leoneans. They deserve respect and dignity. Show gratitude and speak out against negative behaviours. - Promote unity, cooperation, and hope to against Ebola
We need hope and action to stop Ebola together. Everybody has a part to play. When people go for medical care this should be celebrated within communities – they are doing the right thing for their family, their community and their country.
- (C) Politico 16/10/14
