The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval Wednesday of the world’s first <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-ebola-virus" target="_blank">successful</a> treatment for the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest pathogens on the planet.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



The drug, Inmazeb, is a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies produced by U.S. pharmaceutical company Regeneron.



Inmazeb was approved for both adults and children after a trial among 382 adult and pediatric patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which recently declared its 11th Ebola outbreak in just over 40 years, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msf.org/drc-ebola-outbreaks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Doctors Without Borders</a>.



While the approval does mark a significant breakthrough, Ebola is still extremely life-threatening – just over 33% of patients in the trial who were given Inmazeb died after 28 days, compared to 51% who were given a control, according to the FDA.



Inmazeb was funded by a joint partnership between Regeneron and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority while The National Institutes of Health and Congo’s Health Ministry helped administer the study, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/521097-fda-approves-first-ebola-treatment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Hill</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



The last major Ebola outbreak in the DRC was in August, 2018. Some 3,470 people were infected and; 2,287 were killed. It was the country&#8217;s largest-ever Ebola outbreak, and is also the second-biggest Ebola epidemic ever recorded. The largest outbreak recorded was the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which saw 28,652 and 11,325 deaths spread across 10 countries, including 11 cases and one casualty in the United States, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html#anchor_1515001464100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control</a>. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, and tissues of infected people or contaminated surfaces making those who live in third world countries and healthcare workers extremely high-risk for infection. The FDA approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/first-fda-approved-vaccine-prevention-ebola-virus-disease-marking-critical-milestone-public-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ervebo</a>, a vaccine for Ebola, in 2019.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



President Donald Trump was given an experimental antibody cocktail produced by Regeneron after he was diagnosed with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/09/29/new-drug-might-speed-up-covid-19-recovery-pharma-company-reports/#153be08bc440">Covid-19</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-ebola-virus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FDA Approves First Treatment for Ebola Virus</a>&nbsp;(FDA)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/09/29/new-drug-might-speed-up-covid-19-recovery-pharma-company-reports/#153be08bc440">Trump Takes Experimental Regeneron Drug Cocktail Days After It Received Positive Reports</a> (Forbes)



By Daniel Cassady, Forbes Staff

Ebola virus positive blood sample

World’s First Ebola Treatment Approved By FDA

From New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, to German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, Covid-19 has been shining a light on women and paving the way for new thinking in global leadership. But, in Africa, has it been so? A look through the gender lens of the pandemic.



In March, shortly after Liberia confirmed its first case of Covid-19, Cornelia Kruah-Togba got to work. The 30-year-old women’s rights advocate was alarmed by the devastation the Ebola outbreak wreaked in her hometown, Monrovia, back in 2014. This time around, she was determined not to leave anything to chance.



“During Ebola, [public] doubt led to a lot of people dying so we had to make sure that our people were getting involved in this fight early on. We set up a coronavirus ‘taskforce’, identifying major intersections where most people gathered and set up hand-washing stations, in addition to executing a counter-conspiracy campaign. There has been a lot to do to help people realize that this is a genuine threat and that they should act accordingly.”



Kruah-Togba’s fast action and considered strategy have had an impact. New cases in the Liberian capital have been on a downward trend since July. Her initiative, even at community-level, is no different from those celebrated in Taiwan, Germany and South Korea. In each of these countries, women leaders have been credited with containing and even, in the case of Jacinda Ardern’s Premiership in New Zealand, completely eradicating Covid-19.



While we have to be careful not to generalize that these outcomes have purely been a result of having women at the helm, they remain legacies of their leadership.



In stark contrast, similar examples have been slow to emerge in Africa. Many, like Kruah-Togba, are working in localized contexts, far from the glare of mainstream media.



But what about women in public view? Why are they missing in our stories of the pandemic?



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-1024x747.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-46971" width="590" height="430" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-1024x747.jpeg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-scaled-300x219.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-scaled-600x438.jpeg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-768x560.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-1536x1121.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Madjiguene-Sock-2048x1494.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px" /><figcaption> Madjiguene Sock is a Partner at Dalberg Advisors in Senegal and has been advising African governments and public health institutions during Covid-19 </figcaption></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">We have a lot of work to do [in order] to make leadership and decision-making in the ‘war room’ more gendered.&#8221;</blockquote>



Women are on a number of the continent’s policy-making tables, says Madjiguene Sock, Partner at Dalberg Advisors, a global consultancy firm in Dakar, Senegal. Working in an advisory capacity with a number of public health organizations around the continent, she has observed that, while women may be in positions of power, they are often forced to take a back-seat during crises like Covid-19.



“The face of the emergency response institutions in the countries [that I’ve worked in] have been 100% male. However, women continue to be very present, for example, in the Ministry of Health&#8230; but in terms of the response, where it’s more military-like, men tend to be in [leadership] positions.



“We have a lot of work to do [in order] to make leadership and decision-making in the ‘war room’ more gendered,” she notes.



Indeed, it is quite paradoxical that African women have a concerted role in peacetime yet are sidelined in emergencies. However, the recent Ebola crisis has inspired action.



“We started paying attention to gender because of Ebola. The Minister of Health in Senegal, at the time, was a woman and so were many others in the region. But [back then], gender was not the question. [With Covid-19], we have been thinking about setting up EOCs [Emergency Operation Centers] with gender in mind. Something interesting is that the decisions being made in terms of setting up these EOCs have been made by women. But once we set up these platforms, we revert back to masculine leadership,” says Sock.



Gendered responses to the pandemic, and similar crises, are far greater than representation. They also impact outcomes.



In April, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, urged the world’s governments and policy-makers to prioritize women and girls in Covid-19 policies. This is because they represent a majority of the pandemic’s victims, not in terms of mortality, but economically and socially, simply by virtue of their gender.



A month after Guterres’ injunction, female politicians from seven African countries gathered in an African Union teleconference to discuss ways to enhance their leadership in the Covid-19 response.



The meeting was chaired by Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and Kenya’s Raychelle Awuor Omamo, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, supported by UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J Mohammed from Nigeria.



They all agreed that, given the adverse impact on women, the deficits in gendered leadership, and the rise of women on the frontlines of the pandemic, a profound paradigm shift on the continent was needed. The meeting underscored the fact that business cannot, and should not, continue as usual.



However, commitment alone is not enough. The conditions that make inclusion possible are quite complex. Based in Nairobi, public health practitioner, Lolem Ngong, an American with enduring Cameroonian roots, is Chief of Staff at Amref Health Africa, an NGO committed to improving healthcare systems across the continent. In her view, leadership within the sector varies widely, especially through the gender lens.



“I think women in public health crave to see other women around the table, they want to make sure that the voice of frontline workers [who are mostly women] are represented and that they’re working to create a better life for the communities that they serve. This spirit drives leadership [in the sector]. It’s not to say that men [in public health] don’t do this but I think the experience of men is quite different. They have either been in authoritative positions or seen other men in similar positions and this drives a certain style of leadership,” posits Ngong.



However, even within public health, there isn’t a prescriptive feminine, ‘one-size-fits-all’ kind of leadership.



For Ngong, her own role during this pandemic has been particularly varied given the evolving situation.



“Building on the work of dedicated colleagues at Amref, my role has mostly revolved around trying to streamline processes, strategy and advising on issues. During this pandemic we all work unusual hours, it could be 6AM to 11PM… it’s intense, but it’s part of our commitment and it&#8217;s leadership. As a leader in this pandemic, I have found that I’ve really had to draw on a lot of my skills and introspect,&#8221; she says.



Beyond differing approaches, there is also a major blind-spot in gender responses to Covid-19, and similar crises, in Africa.



“We can throw out numbers when talking about [female] representation [in Africa] across the board. But the truth is, within public health, we just don’t have the data. This points to why our policies are so gender-blind. What do you use to inform policy? You need data!”



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Covid-19 has undone almost a year’s worth of work. In parts of northern Kenya, families are taking advantage of the prolonged period that kids have been at home to perform FGM in the cover of darkness.&#8221;</blockquote>



The lack of gender-specific data points to why even growing female representation, even at the higher level, is still having lacklustre results for women on the ground, particularly during this pandemic.



Nevertheless, there have been coordinated efforts from women, in other sectors of society, to safeguard those affected by these policies.



Amina Abdulla is Country Director at Concern Worldwide, a global NGO operating in Kenya. Since the start of the pandemic, she’s noticed that progress made on women’s rights issues, such as eradicating child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), has been eroding.



“Covid-19 has undone almost a year’s worth of work. In parts of northern Kenya, families are taking advantage of the prolonged period that kids have been at home to perform FGM in the cover of darkness. [With curfew], there is limited activity from 7PM onwards [so] that is when they [choose to] perform this on their girls,” she says.



Culturally, within these communities, once a girl undergoes this form of mutilation, she is considered ready for marriage.



Therefore, increasing incidents of FGM heavily correlates to reciprocal trends in child marriage. Once a girl is married off, she often loses her right to education. Given the economic uncertainty set off by the pandemic, this has been seen as a means to an end for many households.



“Families would be looking for a suitor for these girls because it’s one less mouth to feed and it’s also a way for income or assets to come to the [home]. But this also means there’s one girl less in school, one more child mother, and all the risks that come with it. The cycle of poverty continues with this single act.”



Other gender issues that have been prevalent during the pandemic have to do with domestic violence, job loss, forced sex work as well as declining access to maternal health facilities which has led to more fatalities.



To support women and girls, Abdulla’s organization has partnered with the European Union (EU) to provide vulnerable households, in informal settlements across Kenya, with cash transfers for several months so they can build resilience against Covid-19, along with a host of other interventions.



“We opted for cash because it gives [them] choices. It allows them the agency to make decisions on how to spend that money and provide for themselves within their preferences. We’re [also] working with the Ministry of Health to help build back confidence in the community that it’s safe for mothers and children to seek medical services,” she explains.



Back in Liberia, which has had a recent legacy of strong female leadership, young women like Kruah-Togba, have also stepped in to support those affected by prevailing Covid-19 policy mandates.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46972" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suma-Massaley.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption> Suma Massaley directs volunteers as they prepare for a Covid-19 food drive in Monrovia</figcaption></figure>



Suma Massaley and Benita Urey are two of them.



For 24-year-old Massaley, supporting the elderly was critical. With a bulk of Monrovia’s population living below the poverty line and a considerable majority dependent on the informal sector for an income, the elderly became a high-risk group not only in their susceptibility to Covid-19 but also due to the fact that they had no welfare state to rely on. Through social media, she managed to raise $12,885 to support them.



“I was concerned for elderly folks who are dependent on their children, [many of whom] lost their jobs because of the lockdown or whose businesses had to come to a halt. When we raised our first $2,000, I posted on social media asking Liberians to recommend communities that needed the most help. We are giving each household a bag of rice, a gallon of oil [and] a package of toiletries,” she says.



She says that mentorship from Liberian women in public service including Nobel Laureate and peace activist, Leymah Gbowee, who is credited for having a hand in ending the Civil War in 2003, was pivotal in her project.



“If I didn’t have strong women to look up to, I wouldn’t have dared to take on such a challenge. When I first thought of the idea, I called Leymah and told her [about it]. She was really supportive and mentored me through it all.”



Urey also took on an unexpected role in community leadership with her project ‘Package for Hope’, distributing food parcels to the country’s rural communities.



“Many Liberians live on the money they’ve made during the day, so [when] the State of Emergency was put in place, a majority of them found it extremely hard to make the income they were used to,” she explains.



Through online fundraisers, Urey was able to raise $1,000 and 20 bags of rice within an hour. Eventually, she managed to collect over $3,500 in donations. Living in Monrovia, she felt that the funds would be better served in remote communities, far from the capital. Urey, too, has been inspired by the women she has seen in political leadership and is now paying it forward.



“Although we had a female President for 12 years in Liberia, women joining politics is still something many Liberians don’t want to see. However, women continue to make a huge impact&#8230; I always like to take the path that best fits me and [this has led to other] promising young Liberian girls reaching out to me [asking me] to teach them,” she says.



From their example, we can conclude that, at least in Liberia, women have been at the forefront of national Covid-19 response albeit unofficially. However what about the women who are looking to make an impact in future crises?



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Although we had a female President for 12 years in Liberia, women joining politics is still something many Liberians don’t want to see.&#8221;</blockquote>



Oyindamola Adefisayo, from Nigeria, is a PhD candidate at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City.



She’s seen the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic in the American metropolis and has studied the country’s responses to it, but she has also had her eye on movements back home where she hopes to return after her studies.



However, she is realistic about her options.



“Outside of the few women who have been able to break through ranks and serve politically, I honestly do not see a clear career path for leadership roles in policy outside of taking the NGO route. While there are some astounding women working to make changes in science and public health in Africa, there are simply not enough who are visible to [those of] us who want to follow this career path,” she admits.



Taking the broader view, Sock, in Senegal, argues that while African women in leadership may not be visible, they are effective.



“Policy takes time and I find women are more patient. When the Ebola crisis was no longer an emergency, I saw more women stick with it, [even though] it was no longer in front of the cameras. Already with Covid-19, women [leaders] are engaging with scenarios post-crisis on how to continue strengthening emergency response systems, for example. Women have the ability to think more broadly for their communities. We need to see more of this not only in emergency responses but also in public health leadership,” she insists.



However, in Kenya, Ngong is more positive in her assessment.



“I really think the outlook is bright for women in leadership. I’ve had young women between the ages of 19 to 21 [recently] contact me on becoming their mentor. That, to me, is really inspiring. It could be due to Covid-19 that public health is [becoming] really popular. I think we’ll definitely be seeing shifts in the next five years because of this,” she predicts.



Nonetheless, Adefisayo feels more can be done for the young women looking to join and, hopefully, lead the sector.



“I am inspired by the number of women [that] I see making a great effort in changing the narrative around public health and science policy. However, this effort often seems stifled, more by the lack of interest and commitment to making the necessary changes by government.



“Creating visibility for women involved by building networks could be a feasible way of inspiring the next generation and teaching [them] the lessons [already] learned,” she argues.



While Covid-19 has reignited a silent debate on the role of African women in public health policy, its greatest lessons may lie in what is missing, insists Ngong.



“We have to have data systems! As we start talking about vaccine trials and preparedness for access, my biggest worry is what data we’re going to use in African countries. In terms of gender, we’ll need data to understand which groups we’re going to prioritize.”



As the debate blares on, the conclusion to be made is that women are the beating, but unsung, heart of the continent’s public health systems.



Ensuring that they are not only acknowledged but that their voices are heard during this pandemic, and in those to come, is a kindness long overdue.



– By Marie Shabaya

General View of Mukuru Health Center. Photo: Ed Ram / Concern Worldwide

Is Covid-19 Africa’s Gender Pandemic?

Stella Ameyo Adadevoh is responsible for preventing an Ebola epidemic engulfing Nigeria. She was the doctor that identified Nigeria’s first Ebola patient. Patrick Sawyer had flown in from Liberia and was suspected of having malaria. Adadevoh suspected something more serious and quarantined Sawyer, despite pressure from Liberia’s government to release him. She saved many lives but lost her own.
The hemorrhagic disease killed Sawyer and Adadevoh. It was a traumatic time for her son, Bankole Cardoso, the Co-Founder of Easy Taxi Nigeria.
“The last time I saw her, she was very weak and it was difficult to see her like that&#8230; I had never seen her sick in my life. We spoke through the window and I was crying. Her last words were, ‘this thing is not going to kill me, I am very proud of you,’” says Cardoso.
The tragedy led to the 27-year-old Cardoso and his family setting up the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Health Trust.
“Everybody in my family has pulled together in this difficult time. It has built a new focus to use the health trust that we have set up in memory of my mother to positively impact the Nigerian health system. I lived through it and we saw where the failures in the system were and we are working on fixing it.”
Cardoso left Nigeria after primary school to take his GCSEs at one of Britain’s oldest schools, Rugby School. He then earned an accounting and business management degree from Boston College in the United States.
He got a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York and become a certified public accountant. Cardoso then ventured into the capital markets with Carlyle Group.
After two years at Carlyle Group, Cardoso yearned to return to Africa.
“The entrepreneurial journey for me began officially when I moved back to Africa in July 2013&#8230; I had many business ideas I was working on but I knew whatever I did, it had to be done in Africa,” he says.
Cardoso saw a gap in the market.
“I realized there was nothing like a taxi culture in Nigeria. People have been scared for various reasons to use taxis. I used Uber a lot in New York and it was an exciting technology that I loved.”
Easy Taxi was one of his first ideas and the one that had the most potential.
“Easy Taxi, at the time, existed in Brazil. I approached Africa Internet Group (AIG) and they were also interested in the business model. We started testing out the technology and seeing if it would work in Africa.”
AIG is the largest internet company in Africa with ecommerce giants like Jumia, Jovago and Kaymu under its portfolio.
Easy Taxi is a free smartphone app that allows users to request taxis. It uses GPS to connect users to the drivers closest to them, sends the user the driver’s information and allows the user to track the driver on the map in real time. Cardoso spent day after day driving around Lagos and talking to taxi drivers about the app.
“They looked at me like I was crazy.”
The technology was difficult for the drivers to understand. Cardoso had to teach them how to respond to customers and how to use Google Maps.
After success with Easy Taxi, Cardoso became the Group Head of Communication for AIG.
He also spends a lot of time working with the health trust his family set up to make an impact in Nigeria’s health sector, just like his mother did.
“She chose to treat Sawyer instead of letting him leave, even though at the time the Nigerian healthcare was on strike. She chose to stay and treat someone who needed help. Those are the type of ethics she stood for.”
Those ethics will continue with Cardoso.

Bankole-etch

Triumph Punctuated By Tragedy

It’s only been a month since Liberia declared itself Ebola-free. Just when you think there is rest and respite, a woman walks into the small transit unit set up in the country’s capital Monrovia. She’s weak and is soon diagnosed positive with Ebola. She breaks down with the volunteer doctors from Medecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders. The disease has squirmed its way back – again.
It’s heart-wrenching, but for fieldworker Claire Waterhouse, every day is filled with disease and death, and the sorrow of families torn apart.
“It was so hard not to be able to go in there and comfort her or hug or do something to help. She died a few days later and I will never forget her face,” says Waterhouse.
Working in the Central African Republic (CAR), Waterhouse was called to action when Ebola hit Liberia. After working there for a couple of months, she moved to Guinea.
“Both countries were hard hit by poverty even before Ebola and had just been starting to progress, so to see the disappointment and heartbreak of normal citizens about yet another big setback in their development is really sad. It’s clearly a very personal struggle for people and of course a very scary time for them,” she says.
It’s harrowing. New cases feel like a personal failure; survivors struggle with post-traumatic stress, medical symptoms and have difficulties reintegrating; and doctors are unable to comfort patients without protective gear.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-30671 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Claire-5.jpg 682w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
“After having Ebola, you become immune, so we often employed survivors to help comfort new patients and look after children who were sick. They were some of the bravest people I’ve ever met. They faced their worst nightmares by returning to the place where they had been so sick and seen so much death but they still came and helped us every day.
“One of the favorite parts of my job is I get to interact with lots of staff – ambulance drivers who tell you how terrified they are transporting sick people but who do it anyway because they want to help their country, nurses who tell you about their brothers and sisters who died from the disease but who kept working through their grief to try to save others,” she says.
The epidemic has taken a toll as the virus continues to spread.
“I see the full picture and get really worried if we’ll ever manage to beat Ebola. But I believe from the bottom of my heart that in the end, we will get there&#8230; we have to.”

image22

Fighting  Fear, 24/7

Sadly, after being declared Ebola-free on May 9, following days with no new infections, Liberia is again recording cases of Ebola, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
“Though disappointing, the re-emergence of Ebola in Liberia is not altogether unexpected,” says Carissa Guild, medical manager of MSF programs in Liberia.
“The risk of new cases still exists as long as the virus is present in the region.”
The virus was detected in the swab of a deceased 17-year-old boy on the outskirts of the capital Monrovia.
For now, MSF is running a 69-bed paediatric hospital in Monrovia to help restore the secondary health system. In the grounds of the hospital, MSF also runs a clinic specifically for Ebola survivors who suffer from a number of health complications following their recovery.
“Going from hundreds of cases to 30 per week took considerable time and massive resources, yet getting from 30 to zero requires the most meticulous, difficult work of all,” says Dr Joanne Liu, International President of MSF.
“No one was prepared for the scale of this epidemic, the largest in human history, nor that it would last so long. But we cannot lose focus now and must push on until the entire region is declared Ebola free.”
Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf calls the role of communities in the fight against Ebola “a big lesson for all of us in leadership”.
“Our communities rose to the challenge. They took ownership. Together, with the right resources and the right education of how to handle the sick, and the deaths, we overcame. Our leadership, not only from you, from the church too, put together with our communities, made for a formidable force,” says Sirleaf.

shutterstock_294279860

Ebola’s Comeback

Africa billionaires are lining up to put their money where their mouth is in the fight against Ebola.
At least five FORBES AFRICA cover millionaires are putting up to $50 million to fight the disease. It’s being seen as Africa solving its
own problems.
The millionaires include: Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group; Strive Masiyiwa, the Founder and Chairman of global telecommunications group Econet Wireless; Patrice Motsepe, the Founder and Executive Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals; Jim Ovia, Chairman and Co-Founder of Zenith Bank and Mohammed Dewji, the CEO of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited.
The fund, called the Business-to-Rescue Fund, was launched on November 8  at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, the first meeting between the AU and the Africa’s private sector.
“Africa is becoming conscious of synergies that exist between entrepreneurship and development and Econet Wireless Group has been involved in the fight against Ebola as early as April,” says Masiyiwa.
Masiyiwa said business was affected by everything that threatens life in the African economy.
“Our focus is the economy and well-being of our generation. The African people will not allow Ebola to persist like the HIV/Aids pandemic.”
Kola Karim, the Managing Director and CEO of Shoreline Energy International, says leading billionaires have set up a benchmark fund of between $30 million to $50 million.
“It’s unfortunate that the Ebola has caused this much pain without a quick response both from governments and businesses. It is the responsibility of the governments and the private sector to make interventions when serious problems like Ebola attack the region,” says Karim.
Political analyst at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for the Study of Democracy, Gideon Chitanga, says entrepreneurs are playing a role of corporate social responsibility.
“Africa has seen a surge in the number of billionaires in the past decade and it is time that these billionaires start giving back to communities where they are generating their wealth from,” says Chitanga.

Forbes Millionaires  Shell Out  To Stop Ebola

Africa billionaires are lining up to put their money where their mouth is in the fight against Ebola.
At least four FORBES AFRICA cover millionaires are putting up to $50 million to fight the disease. It’s being seen as Africa solving its own problems.
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The millionaires include: Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group; Strive Masiyiwa, the Founder and Chairman of global telecommunications group Econet Wireless; Patrice Motsepe, the Founder and Executive Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals and Jim Ovia, Chairman and Co-Founder of Zenith Bank.
The fund, called the Business-to-Rescue Fund, was launched on November 8  at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, the first meeting between the AU and the Africa’s private sector.
“Africa is becoming conscious of synergies that exist between entrepreneurship and development and Econet Wireless Group has been involved in the fight against Ebola as early as April,” says Masiyiwa.
Masiyiwa said business was affected by everything that threatens life in the African economy.
“Our focus is the economy and well-being of our generation. The African people will not allow Ebola to persist like the HIV/Aids pandemic.”
Kola Karim, the Managing Director and CEO of Shoreline Energy International, says leading billionaires have set up a benchmark fund of between $30 million to $50 million.
“It’s unfortunate that the Ebola has caused this much pain without a quick response both from governments and businesses. It is the responsibility of the governments and the private sector to make interventions when serious problems like Ebola attack the region,” says Karim.
Political analyst at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for the Study of Democracy, Gideon Chitanga, says entrepreneurs are playing a role of corporate social responsibility.
“Africa has seen a surge in the number of billionaires in the past decade and it is time that these billionaires start giving back to communities where they are generating their wealth from,”
says Chitanga.

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Forbes Millionaires Shell Out To Stop Ebola

A little girl, not more than three years old, touches the lifeless body of her seven-year-old sister who has just succumbed to Ebola. She cries when her sister does not respond. They are both in the isolation ward at the Kailahun Treatment Centre at the epicenter of the Ebola crisis in eastern Sierra Leone. With the death of the last member of her family, the little girl’s world has shrunk. Who knows, if it will close in on her as well.
It’s a heart-breaking scene, but Esther Wanjiru, a volunteer doctor from Kenya with Medecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, has witnessed it many times over the last few months.
“Just days earlier, we had to prise the seven-year-old away from her little sister. They didn’t want to be separated, but both were very ill and [the older] simply became too sick to continue caring for the little one,” says Wanjiru.
Each time death comes calling at this Ebola camp, Wanjiru says it’s a terrible experience.
“When you watch this on television, these are Ebola patients. But when you are here, these are families suffering great tragedy.”
Wanjiru, 27, is on the frontline of the Ebola crisis along with countless other volunteer doctors who are putting their lives at risk to care for the sick and dying.
It’s a mammoth task trying to contain a virus that has the potential to decimate whole populations in days.
Wanjiru arrived in Kailahun District in July for a second mission with Doctors Without Borders. On her first mission, she had been shaken by the sight of the isolation wards.
“I had never seen anything like it before,” she says. However, returning yet again to the wards, she hopes the African public understands the magnitude of the Ebola scare.
“It’s high time the world woke up, this virus has spread so fast.”
The virus, Wanjiru claims, takes away more than a victim’s life and its ramifications are not stated enough.
“I quickly realized there are many factors, it’s not just about isolation wards, but about kids being left alone, communities who are afraid and patients being left to die in their homes. These are things that are not being addressed. Pledges are not enough, we need people in the field, we need more people hands-on.”
Wanjiru fears for her life, every day.
“Yes of course I’m scared, it’s one of the deadliest diseases on earth. When I left for the mission, my family thought I was crazy. But as a doctor, I thought if I can help in any way, why not? This virus can affect many countries and by doing this, I’m also helping protect my family, my friends and my country,” she says.
After her arrival, Wanjiru was briefed on the dangers and procedures in the field. And although she does not don the most convenient – or flattering – of ensembles, she is now used to the protective gear.
“Luckily it’s not that hot at the moment. I find the most difficult part of the clothing is having my face covered, but if it gets too much, I go outside for a break.”
The doctor works an 80-hour week, sometimes more when on call. Wanjiru’s day consists of ward rounds and daily briefings. And despite the long hours, she says she wakes up thinking about her patients from the previous day. Death is a constant here.
She remembers a toddler and his mother, both of who survived and were reunited. Their survival is a small triumph.
Wanjiru returns to Kenya in October and is looking forward to having chapatis (Indian bread) again. But the trip home may be temporary. The young doctor says she’s willing to return to the ward “in a heartbeat”.

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On The Ebola Frontline

The Ebola virus is spreading across Africa, taking fear with it.
“They say Ebola has no cure. The unknown has arrived. Nobody knows how to deal with this Ebola, not even the government!” John-Thomas Mensah, an Accra-based taxi driver tells FORBES AFRICA in the Ghanaian capital.
The Ebola scourge has spawned new social rules, with people being told they are not allowed to hug or shake hands. New superstitions have arisen, with some believing that drinking or bathing with salty water and eating the West African plant, bitter kola, will treat the disease. Some businesses are cashing in on the rush for disinfectants, soaps and hand sanitizers.
In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the West Africa Ebola outbreak a public health emergency. It triggered global alarm as countries stepped up precautions and testing. It is the largest Ebola outbreak to date and began in Guinea in March. Liberia has been the worst hit, with 70% of the casualties. Ebola has infected nearly 5,400 and claimed 2,630 lives, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria recorded eight deaths as at the end of August.
Beyond medicine, the epidemic has dampened business and left the informal economy, that fuels West Africa’s cross-border commerce, in a coma. Millions of West Africans are traveling traders and workers who crisscross the region’s porous borders for their daily bread.
Nigeria, which accounts for around 168 million of West Africa’s 260 million people, has not shut its borders, but almost every other country in the region has stopped border traffic, all in a bid to restrict the spread of Ebola. In late September, Nigeria declared itself Ebola-free.
Airlines discontinued flights to and from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and neighboring countries. Freight rates to West Africa are expected to rise as ship owners avoiding the region are choosing to berth at alternative ports. In mid-August, a Chinese-flagged ship heading out of Sierra Leone to Cape Verde had its crew quarantined in Sao Vicente.
The Ebola scare has also reared its ugly head in South Africa. The most worrying was a patient in August who displayed low risk symptoms and was admitted to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital as a precaution. Luckily, the patient tested negative for Ebola at the special diseases ward at the hospital.
“The patient is in isolation and there is no need for the general public to panic. He will not be put in contact with another patient. He is in isolation, in a special ward that deals with hemorrhagic fever,” says Joe Maila, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.
Eleven hospitals across South Africa were issued with protective gear in readiness for any possible outbreak, says Maila.
East Africa is also taking precautions.
The health sector there is poorly funded and all member states agree that they need to coordinate efforts to keep Ebola at bay. Little of this is evident on the ground.
Uganda has suffered from Ebola in the past and claims it is well prepared. Together with Rwanda and Burundi, Uganda borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has confirmed strains of the virus.
The region is on high alert and any slight indication of the virus in these countries may lead to the type of isolation experienced in West Africa. Business, including East Africa’s fledging oil and gas sector, will be hit.
WHO classified Kenya as a high-risk area because of the number of flights from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the infected countries. Kenya Airways, the third largest carrier on the continent, is feeling the pinch after suspending some of its flights to West Africa. RwandAir and Ethiopian Airways are yet to follow suit but promise stringent surveillance.
Help has come from far and near. The United States’ (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has about 60 disease detectives and other health experts in the region. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has reportedly committed $14.5 million. The Wellcome Trust and Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) have also announced a joint $10.8-million emergency research fund.
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, through his Dangote Foundation, has given $3.2 million to the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos, where the nation’s first case of Ebola was found in Liberian-American national Patrick Sawyer who died in a Lagos hospital four days after arriving from Liberia.
Despite these measures, and assurances by the WHO and local authorities, sections of the international community continue to fear that Ebola could spread across the vast African continent. With multinationals placing travel restrictions to West Africa, trips to Africa are either being postponed or canceled. The tourism sector in East and Southern Africa has been the hardest hit.
Ebola is not going away in a hurry.

FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-014-015-RPRT-Ebola-001

Africa’s Worst nightmare

The Ebola virus is spreading across Africa, taking fear with it.
“They say Ebola has no cure. The unknown has arrived. Nobody knows how to deal with this Ebola, not even the government!” John-Thomas Mensah, an Accra-based taxi driver tells FORBES AFRICA in the Ghanaian capital.
The Ebola scourge has spawned new social rules, with people being told they are not allowed to hug or shake hands. New superstitions have arisen, with some believing that drinking or bathing with salty water and eating the West African plant, bitter kola, will treat the disease. Some businesses are cashing in on the rush for disinfectants, soaps and hand sanitizers.
In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the West Africa Ebola outbreak a public health emergency. It triggered global alarm as countries stepped up precautions and testing. It is the largest Ebola outbreak to date and began in Guinea in March. Liberia has been the worst hit, with 70% of the casualties. Ebola has infected nearly 2,500 and claimed 1,427 lives, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nigeria recorded 5 deaths as at the end of August.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3117" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/shutterstock_152407592-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
Beyond medicine, the epidemic has dampened business and left the informal economy, that fuels West Africa’s cross-border commerce, in a coma. Millions of West Africans are traveling traders and workers who crisscross the region’s porous borders for their daily bread.
Nigeria, which accounts for around 168 million of West Africa’s 260 million people, has not shut its borders, but almost every other country in the region has stopped border traffic, all in a bid to restrict the spread of Ebola.
Airlines discontinued flights to and from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and neighboring countries. Freight rates to West Africa are expected to rise as ship owners avoiding the region are choosing to berth at alternative ports. In mid-August, a Chinese-flagged ship heading out of Sierra Leone to Cape Verde had its crew quarantined in Sao Vicente.
The Ebola scare has also reared its ugly head in South Africa. The most worrying was a patient in August who displayed low risk symptoms and was admitted to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital as a precaution. Luckily, the patient tested negative for Ebola at the special diseases ward at the hospital.
&#8220;The patient is in isolation and there is no need for the general public to panic. He will not be put in contact with another patient. He is in isolation, in a special ward that deals with hemorrhagic fever,&#8221; says Joe Maila, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.
Eleven hospitals across South Africa were issued with protective gear in preparation for any possible outbreak, says Maila.
East Africa is also taking precautions.
The health sector there is poorly funded and all member states agree that they need to coordinate efforts to keep Ebola at bay. Little of this is evident on the ground.
Uganda has suffered from Ebola in the past and claims it is well prepared. Together with Rwanda and Burundi, Uganda borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has confirmed strains of the virus.
The region is on high alert and any slight indication of the virus in these countries may lead to the type of isolation experienced in West Africa. Business, including East Africa’s fledging oil and gas sector, will be hit hard.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-3118" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/454132450-300x205.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="205" />
WHO classified Kenya as a high-risk area because of the number of flights from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the infected countries. Kenya Airways, the third largest carrier on the continent, is feeling the pinch after suspending some of its flights to West Africa. RwandAir and Ethiopian Airways are yet to follow suit but promise stringent surveillance.
Help has come from far and near. The United States’ (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has about 60 disease detectives and other health experts in the region. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has reportedly committed $14.5 million. The Wellcome Trust and Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) have also announced a joint $10.8-million emergency research fund.
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, through his Dangote Foundation, has given $3.2 million to the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos, where the nation’s first case of Ebola was diagnosed in Liberian-American national Patrick Sawyer who died in a Lagos hospital four days after arriving from Liberia.
Despite these measures, and assurances by the WHO and local authorities, sections of the international community continue to fear that Ebola could spread across the vast African continent. With multinationals placing travel restrictions to West Africa, trips to Africa are either being postponed or canceled. The tourism sector in East and Southern Africa has been the hardest hit.
Ebola is not going away in a hurry.

Tag: Ebola

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