Ebola Story - Abu K

This article was written by one of the students who regularly hang out in my office:

WHERE EBOLA STARTED AND HOW IT AFFECTS MY LIFE

By Abu

"First the headline, the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 when an outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever occurred in Zaire and another later in the same year in Sudan. Each outbreak had about 300 victims, but did not spread much larger than that because of the remoteness of the areas in which they occurred. The Zaire Ebola virus has one of the highest fatality rates of any pathogenic virus affecting humans.

On the 25th March the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that the Guinea Ministry Of Heath had reported an outbreak of the Ebola virus in four (4)  of their southern districts, there were also suspected cases in the neighbouring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia.

In March 2014 when the outbreak started in Sierra Leone it first stated in one (1) district called Kailahun District. During that time when the disease enter in to the country people did not believe in the disease because there are so many information about the disease. Some were saying the disease is not real, they are taking the influence that the government of the nation is finding somewhere to raise money, some are taking the disease as politics, others are saying  the disease is from cows not rom human beings.

In August and September when high rate of deaths started occurring 70% of Sierra Leoneans believed and 30% still did not believe, some were saying during these months we were experiencing a disease called cholera and typhoid fever that was the main reason why some were not believing in the Ebola virus. The signs shown for Ebola virus is similar to the signs of cholera and typhoid fever. During the same month the government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF WHO and some other organisations in Sierra Leone and the world came together to fight against the Ebola virus.

Really, the Ebola outbreak has made things difficult in our country Sierra Leone. The disease has made business places, and companies not to function well and even affect educational  institutions like schools and universities. The education background in our country is not too good as compared to the olden days, the virus has stopped children going to school, like me, I'm supposed to be now at SSS4, I should have been now preparing to sit my WASSCE examinations.

Thank God my life is still existing, lets pray that the Ebola virus will leave our country Sierra Leone and the world as a whole."