Ebola Lessons to Tackle COVID-19
At the end of December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization (WHO) on the existence of unknown cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei province of China (Fedson, David, Steven, and Ole Martin, 2020). Two weeks later, Coronavirus novel (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as an agent that causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of March 5th, 2020, the disease had spread through human transmission in various parts of China, and to over 55 Countries (Gates, 2020). The Relevant lessons available from the Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016 in West Africa can be used to tackle this deadly virus.
During the outbreak of Ebola, with numerous travel restrictions and closure of borders, West Africa endured economic shocks as a result of deterioration in tourism and trade. The US responded by writing off $150million debt in the infected countries and reinvested the same in their health sector (Ho, C, Chee, and R,2020). Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided emergency funds worth $200 million to fight the outbreak. Therefore, Africa’s major lenders, the IMF, the US, the private sector, and China should consider similar debt relief measures and emergency funds to caution less developed countries from further falling into poverty (Paintsil and Elijah,2020).
After Ebola, most African countries understood that, if they are to succeed in the fight against infectious disease, they must invest in contact tracing, find all possible cases, isolate them, and conduct a COVID-19 test (Jones and David, 2020). Distribution of test kits to all health centers was also important, as sending samples to a central testing place delayed the process. Therefore, the supply of high-quality test kits donated to African countries by Jack Ma’s Foundation will ensure correct diagnosis for COVID-19 patients, as misdiagnosis could be catastrophic to the fight against this deadly virus. Moreover, testing centers and isolation places should be separate from regular health facilities to avoid transmission. Stadiums, public venues, and schools may be used as quarantine and treatment centers; this will save on resources and time.
In most developing countries, health systems are underfunded, and with fewer resources. The same health resource is used to fight COVID-19, and limited will be left to battle non-COVID-19 related diseases (Murdoch, David, and Nigel, 2020). During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, 11.000 people lost their lives. However, the exact number is still unknown, as thousands died as a result of Ebola-unrelated diseases, due to the focus given to the Ebola epidemic (Kapata, Nathan, et al., 2020). Therefore, countries around the world should operate a separate facility to tackle COVID-19; this will ensure existing health facilities are not strained to fight other diseases.
The Ebola crisis gave various lessons on the importance of crowd management, hand washing, and checking of persons’ temperatures (Marchand-Senécal, Xavier, et al., 2020). Countries around the globe should respond by providing public awareness on the importance of regular hand washing, social distancing, and regular checking of one’s temperature. Community leaders and government at the grassroots level should ensure adherence to the laid down procedures.
The COVID-19 poses its challenges, which could threaten the health, economy, and social fabric of not just China but the world at large. Nevertheless, lessons can still be drawn from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Involving community leaders and institutions to explain the disease spread, prevention, and the response mechanisms available are central in any government fight against a dangerous disease as COVID-19 (Leach and Melissa, 2020). The government should ensure access to health is universal, proper sanitation, and availability of clean water. Lastly, we are not yet near the end of the COVID-19 crisis; the world must be aggressive in the development and uneven distribution of a vaccine global.