Ebola Outbreak (Page 6)

Social worker Lindsay Jones has just recently returned home to Ottawa after working at the Red Cross Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone. She was there to provide psychosocial support to patients being treated for the virus. She’s been describing her experiences on her blog and recently in this CBC interview. We share this excerpt.

While much of the attention around the current Ebola outbreak has been on treating patients, combating the fears, stigma and myths associated with the virus is another important component of the Red Cross response.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then 2014 was a year filled with photos that told a story all on their own.

From the shores of British Columbia to the typhoon-ravaged streets of the Philippines, and the disease- stricken communities in West Africa, join us as we take a look back at our top five photos of the year. 

As an administrator of a series of emergency-type hospitals in remote parts of the world, Erwan Cheneval has had to supervise, plan, develop, and monitor them and maintain appropriate standards of care. Meeting these challenges in abnormal circumstances is doubly hard.

Social worker Lindsay Jones recently arrived at the Red Cross Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone. The Ottawa resident is there to provide psychosocial support to patients being treated for the virus. She describes some of the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments she has experienced. 

The days are flying by, a blur of highs and lows. We move from gut-wrenching tragedy to clapping, dancing celebration in the three steps it takes to cross between patients. Three steps more, back to tragedy again.
 
Yesterday, we had a six-year-old girl arrive in an ambulance full of suspected Ebola cases. She came with no contact information. We weren’t even sure of her name. Today, she died with one of our team, dressed in full protective gear, holding her hand.

Despite contracting Ebola, many patients in West Africa are recovering from the virus and returning to their lives with joy and a bit of fear due to stigmatization.

Mamadou and Patricia share their journey to recovery and reintegration into their community.