West African nations hope experience fighting Ebola will help curb spread of coronavirus
- Although Covid-19 has a lower mortality rate than Ebola, it still threatens to overwhelm vulnerable health care systems
- Experts who helped tackle the previous outbreak say good preparations will be key
Sierra Leone is the only country in West Africa that has yet to report a case of Covid-19. but it hopes that its bitter experiences with Ebola will help it fight the disease if it arrives.
To curb the spread of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, President Julius Maada Bio has closed the country’s borders, “except for the transportation of essential commodities into Sierra Leone under strict supervision”. He also imposed restrictions on overseas travel for government officials and banned public gatherings.
When Sierra Leone found itself in the grip of Ebola in 2014, several countries sent in medical professionals and caregivers to help combat the spread of the disease, whose fatality rate averaged about 28 per cent. In total 3,956 Ebola deaths were recorded in the country.
Dr Madina Hussein from Kenya was among hundreds of health experts from East Africa who were deployed to West Africa to help fight the Ebola epidemic.
When she arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, in 2015 the situation was dire. Besides the horrific scenes such as dead bodies on the streets, she witnessed a country unprepared to fight the deadly disease.
Madina said poor practices, such as limited handwashing and use of gloves, had hampered efforts to contain the disease, and doctors lacked basic supplies.