Pneumonia, Cuddles and Cakes

I seem to have had a very full day today........

 

Yesterday I saw my friend Susan, the head mistress of the Hosetta Abdullah school for children with special needs.......I'd last seen her at the beginning of October just before I went to the UK for a few weeks, at that time she had been poorly for a while with a bad chest. When I saw her yesterday I was shocked by just how ill she was so I picked her up this morning and took her to the AHS Hospital at Waterloo today for my friend Dr Koroma to check her over. Dr diagnosed severe pneumonia and has admitted her. She didn't really want to be admitted but Dr Koroma insisted......and you don't argue with Dr Koroma!

 

We arranged to meet Marwan, our boy with the poorly eye, at the hospital with his father as they live nearby. I got to spend some time with Marwan without him having to be stressed by having his eye examined, or the dressing changed, or be poked or prodded. I still haven't heard him say a single word.....but I did get to enjoy a lovely cuddle when he overcame his shyness and decided to come and sit with me. He was wearing the pyjamas I bought him from the UK for him - I got them so he has something to wear if he's admitted to hospital, he looks so cute in them. Tomorrow I should  find out if it's going to be possible to send him to Ghana to get him treated.

 

I'm praying, praying and praying some more for healing for this lovely, lovely boy. As we left the hospital - me to go to my home and Marwan and his Dad to go to theirs - he waved me off and gave me a big smile - it was the first time I've seen him smile. I love that little boy.

 

Aunty (the lady who comes each day to cook for the compound) had the day off today, so my Sierra Leone family and I all sat out in the garden and chatted while they prepared the food and I made omelettes to keep us going. It was wonderful just not to have to be anywhere and to have the time to sit and enjoy each other's company.

 

After years of being in Sierra Leone I have finally purchased an oven! Until now I've got by with 2 ring gas burner - I'm the only one who cooks inside, Aunty and the others cook on a charcoal burner outside. I tested it out for the first time today, first with the omelettes which went down very well.......then I made some corn muffins, which look a lot better than they tasted.

I've decided that I'm going to try to reinstate a tradition my Mum had and cook cakes each Sunday when possible and share them with whoever happens to be around.

The End Of Ebola?

A few days ago Sierra Leone passed 42 days with no new confirmed cases, meaning that person to person transmission is no longer considered a threat.......for now.

 

I saw some celebrations on the news, but in my area celebrations were pretty muted and understated.....most people I know have taken it as a time of prayer and reflection, remembering those they lost and praying for those who survived.

 

The AHS Hospital at Waterloo, which was first closed and quarantined in August 2014 then later commissioned as an Ebola Holding and Treatment Centre, reopened as a general hospital this week. The doctor and staff are glad to be getting back to normal after living and working under restrictions for so long.

I went to the reopening and as well as being a day of celebration it was a day of reflection, remembrance and prayer. It was an honour to be mentioned as one of the organisations that has helped them through the Ebola crisis and the hospital pass on their thanks for the help that Transform Salone and our supporters have given them since the start of the crisis.

The doctor was so eager to get back to work that he was seeing patients as soon as the tour of the hospital at the end of the reopening programme was over!

 

It's a great testament to the doctor, his staff and the people that came to help that while the hospital was operating as an Ebola centre no staff were infected with the virus.

 

People are very aware that there are still Ebola patients being treated in neighbouring Guinea and that it's a real possibility that we could see further cases.

Wisely people are being advised to continue with precautions such as avoiding unnecessary touching and hand washing.

 

I think people are afraid to get too excited in case it all starts up again - they don't want to celebrate prematurely.......I think most people accept that there's a good chance there will be more cases here and there, but at least the country can start to recover now.

 

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office have updated their travel advice and are no longer advising against all but essential travel to Sierra Leone.......so we are ready to start welcoming volunteers to come and help us with our community work and the sponsorship scheme. If you'd like to come and help out please get in touch!!

Waterloo Ebola Treatment Centre

There has been a slight change of plan for the Adventist Hospital in Waterloo. After the quarantine period it was decided that the hospital would be reopened as an Ebola holding centre, but this has now changed. The hospital is no longer going to be a holding centre for Ebola - it is going to operate as a treatment centre for Ebola.

 

A holding centre is where suspected Ebola patients are taken to be tested, if they test positive for Ebola they are then transferred to a treatment centre.

 

The Doctor and staff that I spoke to at the hospital are pleased with this decision as they feel that a treatment centre is a safer environment than a holding centre for staff.

New Ebola Holding/Treatment Centre - Waterloo

 

Back in September the AHS Hospital at Waterloo was closed and quarantined for 21 days after admitting a patient who later tested positive for Ebola. The patient later died. Three of the hospital staff who had close contact with the patient contracted Ebola from her......2 nurses passed away and the other, a lab technician, survived.

 

Since the end of the quarantine the hospital has remained closed. The Government ordered that it should be opened as a holding centre for Ebola patients. There was an unfinished ward in the compound (started by Mission Direct) and the government decided they would complete the building to increase the hospital capacity as a holding centre.

 

As the work to ready the hospital progressed it was decided that it would also serve as a treatment centre for Ebola.

 

I was invited to pay a visit to the centre before it opens - I hardly recognised the place! They now have solar lighting, plenty of water tanks and a new well - so no more water shortages, and two big generators that I'm told were donated by the British.

 

It was quite eerie being inside the hospital with no staff or patients (when I visited during quarantine the staff were all there)

 

Here are some photos:



The main entrance is now in the 'Red Zone'

 



Each of the existing wards will accommodate 6 patients (Red Zone)

 



Outside area for Ebola patients

The new ward (Red Zone)

A single room with toilet in the new building (Red Zone)

This is where patients will await their diagnosis (all air conditioned!!)

Newly built offices

Newly built offices

Waterloo Hospital Update 08/10/14

I received this update from Dr Koroma at the SDA Hospital at Waterloo - please pray for them as they prepare for and move into this this new situation.

It's a very brave decision for them to make and show's their dedication and determination to help their country through this crisis:

Dear Ali,
Since after the quarantine of the hospital, I am in consultation with the ministry of health and sanitation about the reopening of the hospital, they advice us that it will be difficult for us to reopen by now due to the increase of the new cases in the  Waterloo axis, we rather wait until the trend reduces, and they requested us to allow them to use the facility for a holding center to help reduce the trend of new infection. We had consultation with the authorities of the hospital including the minister of health, and we came to conclusion to allow them to use the facility with conditions that we still remains the sole owners of the facility after the whole exercise. During the assessment of the facility, they found out that they needed more space and they decided to extend to the new extension by finishing the remaining work with the exception of tiling and few other things, so whatever remaining, after the whole exercise the Mission Direct will continue from there. As a founder and proprietor of this project, I found it mandatory to inform you what ever is going on here. Thank you for your continues support.

Regards,Dr. David

Lockdown & Rice

Rice Delivery

By time the lock down in Sierra Leone started on Friday the 19th of September 2014 we had purchased and delivered 135 bags of rice, that's a total of 3375 kilograms of rice!

The day before the lockdown the price of food increased dramatically, by evening time some items were seven times their usual price. The streets were crowded with people trying to stock up on food for the lockdown.

During the lockdown 92 dead bodies were discovered and a number of new cases of Ebola were identified.  More than 20,000 people made up small teams to carry out the house to house visits.  The teams educated households about Ebola and each household was given a bar of soap and a sticker to show they had been visited.

Thank heavens the lockdown was peaceful.

The staff at the Waterloo Hospital were released from quarantine on 17th September, but only had one day of freedom before the lockdown started. They are waiting to hear when they will be allowed to reopen the hospital. 

The need for rice is still very much apparent so I will carry on taking donations for rice and providing them to the families that need them most.  If you would like to make a donation to purchase rice you can use the donation button at the top of this page or contact me for alternative ways to donate. If you use the PayPal button to make a donation there is no charge if you send it via your PayPal account,  if you use the option to donate by credit or debit card the charge is 3.4% + 20p.



Sticker Showing Household Has Been Visited by Ose to Ose Team



Inside Quarantine

During one of our daily calls Dr Koroma of the Waterloo Hospital asked if I could stop by the hospital to pick up something that needs to be taken to the UK. When I questioned if I'd be allowed he assured me that the armed police and military are there for the safety of the hospital staff and to make sure no-one leaves and that there would be no problem with me calling into the hospital compound.

 

I had presumed that I would have to talk to the Doctor through a window, but I was allowed into the hospital. It was quite strange seeing it so empty (most of the staff were outside getting some air). There are 35 hospital staff currently quarantined at the hospital.

 

I don't really know what I had expected, but it wasn't as grim as I thought it was going to be, the staff still have another 10 days of quarantine to go and they are not allowed to leave the hospital compound until then, but they are allowed outside to sit in the canteen and the palava hut - they aren't nearly as restricted as I was expecting, I had expected that they would be all locked inside the hospital at all times.

 

Everyone seems to be in good spirits, although they are obviously saddened by the recent loss of their colleagues.

They are taking all the possible precautions and recording temperatures regularly so that any sign of fever will be picked up quickly, but so far all the remaining patients are showing no signs of Ebola. It was through the taking of temperatures that the Doctor identified the three staff that tested positive for the virus.

 

The doctor is desperate to get an infrared thermometer (one of those gun like contraptions used to record people's temperature) - if anyone can help with that let me know.

The Doctor talked about the two nurses that lost their lives to Ebola and the conditions he described at the Ebola Centre sound horrific. The doctor had to send money to the Ebola Centre to get food and treatment for his staff there, he believes that had he been allowed to treat them at Waterloo that they may well have lived. I saw a photo of one of the nurses taken as she was being loaded into the ambulance to take her to the Ebola Centre, she walked herself to the ambulance......two days later she was dead.

The lab technician who has Ebola is doing well and is expected to recover.

 

Please continue to pray for the Doctor and his staff

 

More Sad News From Waterloo

Sadly the other Waterloo Hospital nurse who was diagnosed with Ebola has passed away.

Here's an update from Dr Koroma :

Dear Friends in the UK & Canada

The Adventist Hospital In Waterloo - Sierra Leone has suffered 2 deaths from the Ebola crisis, out of the 3 cases we send 2 has died and they are all nurses, the remaining is the Laboratory Assistant who is doing well for now, we hope and pray that the Lord will give him a speedy recovery. Please join us in prayers daily as we seek the Lord's intervention.

Thank you

Regards,

Dr. David Joefrey Koroma

Acting Medical Director

Adventist Hospital - Waterloo

RIP Nurse M

Sadly one of the Waterloo nurses who tested positive for Ebola passed away today at the Ebola treatment centre

 

She was exposed to the virus while treating a patient who was later confirmed as having Ebola.

 

May she rest in perfect peace and may God protect the other staff at the hospital from this dreadful virus
 

It's Creeping Closer

At times Ebola has seemed like a far off problem - even to me here in Freetown. I see news articles and I read the updates from the Ministry telling how many new cases, how many have survived and how many have died. I wash my hands with chlorine after ever possible contact, I avoid direct contact with people, I tell people about the dangers and how to stay safe, I see the information signs everywhere I go........but I didn't know anyone personally that has been diagnosed with Ebola - until now

Three staff at the Waterloo Hospital have been confirmed as having Ebola - two nurses and a lab technician. These are people that I know and admire, who have treated me when I've been admitted to the hospital. Please pray that they will recover.

At the moment there are no other suspected cases amongst the staff of Waterloo Hospital - Please God let it remain that way.

Over the last week the numbers of confirmed cases had been going up rapidly....over the last 7 days more than 150 new cases have been confirmed in Sierra Leone and the cases in the Western Area (Freetown) are growing steadily.

The sight and sounds of the 'Ebola Ambulances' are more common - these are easily spotted because the driver and crew are wearing PPE. I saw one yesterday heading into Freetown with sirens blaring. If sirens can be heard the betting is high that it will be an 'Ebola Ambulance'.

I went to Bureh Beach and I was the only visitor there, there were no children playing, no sellers selling, no fishermen fishing. As with everywhere else I had to wash my hands with chlorine water on the way in.

A couple of weeks ago people were becoming a bit blasé about Ebola, but it is being taken seriously again now. Let us pray that all of the expertise and aid that is coming into the country will be able to halt the spread.

Short Update - Ebola at Waterloo

Dr Koroma sent a short update with the news that we've been dreading, one hospital staff member has tested positive for Ebola and two other suspected cases are awaiting results.

I was so sad to drive by the hospital yesterday and not be able to pop in as I usually do and say hello, to know my friends were in there and there was nothing I could do. From the road I could see the military personnel who are ensuring thst no one leaves the hospital.

Here's the Doctor's note:

Dear friends in the UK & Canada

The Ebola has hit the Adventist hospital, we have got so far 3 suspected cases and one has proved positive two are awaiting results, and the whole hospital has been quarantine including the 40 staffs, so we are all in the hospital. Your donations has been used to buy preventive wears and disinfectants, we are now faced with the challenge of food and other necessary condiments for our staying here. We need your prayers and supports.
Thank you. 
Regards
Dr. David J. Koroma.

Quarantine Update from Dr Koroma

I received this update from Dr Koroma about the quarantine situation at Waterloo SDA Hospital:

Dear friends in the UK & Canada
As you are all aware that our hospital has been quarantine including all the staffs for 21 days, daily disinfection is going on to continue maintain our safety and also daily medical check up is on going especially the temperatures. We are doing this to keep a close monitor of everybody and know our status during this 21 days period. Attachment  shows how committed we are towards the fight of Ebola.
Thank you, remember us in your prayers.
Dr. David Koroma

More About The Hospital Quarantine

I have some more information about the closure and quarantine of the SDA Hospital at Waterloo.

 

I have spoken to Doctor Koroma and he told me that the government medical team supported by police and military have closed the hospital and are quarantining all hospital staff who were on duty while the Ebola patient was admitted there.

The staff will be quarantined at the hospital, they will not be allowed to leave the hospital until the end of the quarantine period, which is 21 days from when the patient was transferred to the isolation centre. Some food and supplies have been provided.

The Doctor is trying to reason with the government medical team that only those who had contact with the patient need to be quarantined, but at the moment they are insisting that everyone will be quarantined.

It sounds to be a very frightening time for all the staff - the hospital has been surrounded by police and military.

 

These are the doors to the isolation room that was prepared for suspected Ebola cases - the room that we'd prayed and prayed wouldn't be needed........

 

 

Hospital Closed and Quarantined

I've just received this message from the Waterloo SDA Hospital:

 

"As I am writing you this mail the government medical team with police and military officers have closed down the whole hospital. They brought us some food supplies and quarantining of the whole hospital will start tomorrow. The hospital is been surrounded by police and military officers. We are given till tomorrow to supply list of every staff that were working while the patient was admitted in the hospital"

 

It must be so frightening please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

 

Confirmed Ebola Case

Well, this is news that I didn't want to have to give......one of the suspected Ebola cases reported at Waterloo Hospital has tested positive.

 

All staff that had contact with the patient will be quarantined for 21 days.

 

The staff are very scared. Some staff will be relieved and a skeleton staff will remain to maintain the hospital until the crisis is over.

 

Apart from the risk of Ebola their other main worry is how they will manage to pay wages during this period. There were few enough patients already, but as news of this spreads there will be even fewer - no patients means there is no money to pay staff salaries.

Lets pray that all those quarantined remain healthy

Suspected Cases and a Note of Thanks

Last night I received this message and photo from the Doctor at the Adventist Hospital in Waterloo, he asked me to share it with the people that have so generously donated through us to help the hospital with their preparations for Ebola cases

The photo is of further supplies they have purchased for the fight against Ebola including a spraying machine, chlorine and gloves.

Dear friends from the UK & Canada,
I would like to render my sincere thanks and gratitude for your generous donations to our hospital on behalf of the general staff especially my medical staffs. We would like to assure you that we are very grateful to your timely gesture in this time of the Ebola crisis. Here are some of the items we bought. I will send the complete list later
David

 

The donations certainly came at the right time - I heard this morning that the hospital have received three suspected Ebola cases. The cases have been transferred to an isolation centre and the whole hospital has been disinfected. The spraying machine (shown boxed in the photo above and in use in the photo below) was purchased just two days ago with the donations we delivered to the hospital just 4 days ago - imagine how hard and hazardous it would have been for them to disinfect the hospital without it.

Photo from J Fobbie

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated for the Hospital at Waterloo.

 

I have been admitted to this hospital twice and it is where I always go for any treatment I need. Last year I had the privilege of watching the Doctor perform an emergency appendectomy. Over many years I have seen the care and respect that the doctor and staff give their patients - the work they do is amazing even though the conditions they work in are not easy.

I  have total respect for Doctor Koroma and the staff at the hospital.

Please remember Dr Koroma and his staff and patients in your thoughts and prayers.



The Dreaded 'E' Word

Since I returned to Sierra Leone almost three weeks ago nearly every conversation turns to the 'E' word at some point.......of course I'm talking about Ebola - something that I don't think I'd even heard of a year ago, but which now is constantly in the back of my mind.

 

People mention it like it's a rude word....with a little chuckle almost as though they feel silly for taking it so seriously. There are chlorine hand washes at the entrance to most businesses, and shaking hands is a big no-no. Some people touch elbows as a way of greeting or bang fists, but most people just nod or raise a hand in greeting. Worryingly people don't see me as a threat - because I'm a westerner most people presume that I'm 'safe'.

 

There are many rumours flying around - one morning I was woken by a phone call at 4am and told I had to wash in hot salt water and pray to ward off ebola, the message spread like wildfire and most people complied. A Nigerian Pastor is sending over 4,000 vials of his special 'holy water' which will keep everyone safe - I wish he'd send 4,000 bottles of hand sanitiser instead.

 

It seems that every other day a new rule is imposed: no football, no public gatherings, cinema halls closed, clubs closed, Okada's not permitted from 7pm to 7am, banking hours restricted, local markets to close at 6pm.

 

Today for the first time I saw people dressed in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) - an ambulance  passed me as I headed out of town and the occupants were wearing protective clothing. That made it all just a little bit more real. I heard later that there was a suspected case at the ferry terminal today so perhaps that's where they were going.

 

I woke up with a headache the other morning and straight away checked if I had a fever - I think I'll go into full panic mode if I get an upset tummy! I got a bit of heat rash and my first thought was....oh-oh, a rash is one of the symptoms.

 

Many private clinics have closed down now and this week the Ola During Children's Hospital was closed - all patients were sent home, even those that were critically ill. Pharmacies are no longer allowed to offer any treatment to customers. People are scared to go to the hospitals that are still open for fear of catching the virus. The danger is that many people will lose their lives through treatable illnesses either because they are too scared to get treatment or because there is nowhere to go to get treated.

 

There has been much in the press about an armed group attacking an ebola centre in Liberia. Although it is very tense in the city, so far thank God, it has been peaceful here in Freetown and I pray with all I have that it stays that way.

 

Waterloo Hospital

 

Dr Koroma at Waterloo told me about a patient who was admitted with vomiting and diarrhoea - he called all staff into an emergency meeting and went over the dos and don'ts for the umpteenth time on how to deal with the patient. It turned out to be a case of food poisoning, but it certainly put the wind up the staff. The next day the staff told the doctor they thought they should close the hospital - fortunately he was able to convince them to carry on working.

 

The hospital have prepared an isolation room in case of suspected Ebola patients - if they do get any Ebola patients then anything that goes into that room will have to be destroyed: medical equipment, bedding, BP machines, clothes etc etc. The only thing that will come out are the people.....hopefully.

 

I received a big donation from friends at Holy Trinity Calgary today which I took straight to the Doctor Koroma to allow them to continue with their preparations in case of Ebola patients. This donation, along with the one I took to the hospital a couple of weeks ago from friends in the UK,  means they are able to properly prepare for Ebola, if it weren't for the donations the hospital has received they would still be trying to cope without even gloves. Thank you doesn't seem enough.....but THANK YOU so much to everyone who has sent donations for the hospital.
 

 

Because of the Ebola threat patients are staying away from the hospital - when I visited today only 6 were admitted. No patients means no money for wages and Dr Koroma is very worried about how they will manage to pay the wages this month.

 

Empty Wards

Here's an update from Doctor Koroma that I received last night:

 

Hi Alison
How are you doing? 

The crisis is getting more tougher, patients are not coming to the hospital for the fear of the Ebola they only come when it is very critical, so we are having very difficult times in terms of salaries, for the last month salary we manage to pay on the 10th of this month, so my fear is this month since we are having less patients, (the whole hospital we are having 5 patients admitted) so therefore except we will have external help we will not be able to pay salaries. We pray the Lord will intervene for us which I believe He will.
Thanks
Dr. David Koroma.

 

Empty Beds

 

If you feel you can help please let me know

 

Hospital Supplies

I recently made an appeal on this blog on behalf of Dr Koroma for donations so that the Waterloo SDA hospital could make preparations in case of suspected Ebola patients. Thank you to the many people that have sent in donations for the hospital

 

The doctor has asked me to share a couple of photos that show the first lot of purchases made with the donations received so far.

 

 

 

 

The Doctor and the hospital are very thankful for the donations that have allowed them to begin to make the necessary preparations.

 

In the last couple of week prices in Sierra Leone have increased - even basic commodities cost more than before. The cost of items like gloves, chlorine, disinfectants and hand sanitizers have risen dramatically.

 

We are still collecting donations for the hospital as they prepare the hospital in case of Ebola patients - if you would like to make a donation please contact me either on facebook or email 

 

Thank You From Dr Koroma

Doctor Koroma asked me to pass on this thank you note for the donations received so far for the hospital to make preparations for the Ebola virus:

"Hello friends,
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to you all for your great donations, indeed you have shown me that you love and care for me and that you want me to continue to work for God, may you be blessed all. For true the problem we have is a deadly one, many people have died especially in the east where the problem started, we have not got any case yet, but we are making proper preparation because our nearby hospitals have started having suspected cases, so we make sure that we put everything in place in case we might have any suspect.
Once more I would like to say thank you to you all, more update as we go by.
Regards
Dr. David Joefrey Koroma."

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated towards this. Please keep praying for the Doctor, his staff and everyone at the hospital.